Second Son
by TheRealAbbey
Summary: When Bridger finds his son, his joy is short lived when an enemy threatens both Robert and Lucas OH MY GOD - ITS ACTUALLY FINISHED!!!
1. CHAPTER ONE

Second Son  
  
This story was original when I started it, but I think by now the idea would have been used somewhere else as well. Please tell me how I can improve this and whether I should bother finishing it off.  
  
When Bridger finds his son, his joy is short lived when an enemy threatens both Robert and Lucas....  
  
Bridger stood over his young grandson as he slept quietly. He eventually pulled his gaze away and shut the child's door. He sighed tiredly and walked over to the computer in the main study room. Switching it on, he thought back to his beloved family. The child in the next room gave him a renewed sense of hope, and this afternoon he believed he may have found some answers to his son's disappearance. Deeply buried files that he'd been able to draw up through various contacts, some as important as section seven, suggested that his son had accepted a position which meant that his life at the time was to be erased. His name, status, file, all traces of Robert Bridger were gone. Nathan's son was declared deceased. This also explained why the body had never been recovered. Nathan assumed that Michael had been born after Robert discovered that his father was 'dead' and considered it safe enough to attempt a normal life by having a family. What on earth could have convinced him to makes such a sacrifice?  
  
Nathan pondered over the whole deeply disturbing situation, fumbling with a small disc which he inserted into the drive. After a few moments, the section seven encoda appeared on the screen. He began a search for 'Robert Bridger'. This new information did not all add up. Three months after Robert had been declared deceased, his signature had been applied to several documents. It wasn't his son's name that had been signed but forensic scans showed that it was definitely his hand writing. Nathan shut his eyes in frustration when he found that there was very little information about which documents had been signed. However, it was obvious that they had certainly not been signed through section seven. In fact, it appeared that the content that Nathan could find was almost anti-section seven and although of a military nature, not UEO. There were specific links to the media and cover-ups of attempts to expose various section seven projects. The signatures were the only indication of Robert's activities. Nathan carefully took note of the small time newspaper location which was linked to several of the unidentified documents. He shakily removed the disc and tossed it into the old fashioned open fire. His body tingled with excitement and fear as he drew closer to finding his long lost son.  
  
General Dante Vishnore nervously twisted his fingers behind his back as he spoke to one of his agents. "Are you sure that's what his name was?" his voice slightly uneven.  
  
The response of the agent made it clear that nervousness was very out of character for the General, "Of course sir, the sources were very specific. It appears that Nathan Bridger has been receiving information regarding the disappearance of his son."  
  
"And what of the contacts?" He demanded, his usual intimidating and booming demeanour returning.  
  
" They are being dealt with, sir."  
  
"Good. Does Agent Eltherington know any of this?"  
  
The agent appeared very confused, "No sir, he doesn't work in this division."  
  
"Yes, I know. But see to it that he does not even receive a hint of this information," he ordered, then as an after thought, " And have him and his wife transferred."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Vishnore moved over to the com and called upon an unknown source. "Alright, I've spoken with the agent in charge over the problem. It appears that the very source I used to blackmail Eltherington is making trouble. See to it that no one aside from you or I learns Eltherington's real name. He is much to valuable agent to lose, and knowledge of the way he came to agree to join in the first place may be the end of us. It has been too many years just to throw away all our work." Vishnore smiled, "But in case we can't play them off one another for long, I've done some digging and I have a little.....back up plan."  
  
Lucas gave a sigh of apathy. There was barely any activity on the bridge as the borders they were patrolling were quiet. Lucas' excitement registered in his flat, bored tone.  
  
"I'm hungry." At the terminal next to him Loni, busily attempting to flirt with the temporary Lieutenant Zach Biggs, didn't look at him, "Yeah, well, I'm sure you can go to lunch soon."  
  
Lucas became agitated, realising that he had no one to talk to.  
  
Biggs strolled over to her giving her his 'super-hero' grin, "Careful," he whispered, " with a smile like that you might loose your virginity some day." Obviously he was provoking her. Ford over heard and looked up from where he was standing near the captain's chair, obviously unimpressed, glaring at Loni, daring her to flirt back. Loni responded by adjusting her posture so her breasts protruded provocatively.  
  
" So," she said sweetly pretending to pay more attention to her terminal, " You think that I'm a virgin." Lucas was annoyed at having such sickening adult games displayed out in front of him.  
  
Rudely, and unexpectedly Lucas stated, "Of course she's a virgin," he stared pointedly and cockily at Biggs, "she's an only child."  
  
The response Lucas received was of a mixture of shock ranging from unimpressed to amused. Loni was shocked into muteness, but recovered to turn red with embarrassment.  
  
Commander Ford was not in the mood for Lucas' attitude, but before he could correct him O'Neill interrupted him, "Captain on the bridge". The relaxed mood stiffened as Hudson made his way over to Ford.  
  
"I've just had a call from MaGath. It appears that Mr Bridger has requested our assistance...," Hudson stated and then added in an irritable tone, " yet again."  
  
"What's it about, sir?" Lucas asked from his station, ignoring his captain's last two words.  
  
"It appears that he has found his son." Hudson stated. Lucas' face light up. A feeling of pleasant suprise arose in the air. Hudson's face revealed a pleasant expression as he left the bridge. Although he was some what annoyed that Bridger was continuously involving his crew in private vendetta's, he was pleased for him, the positive assignment should hopefully draw away some of the grimness of the tour which is just what they all needed.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry I can't help you. We had an agent of this organisation trying to find information on this topic about 15 years ago. If you like I could give you his name and you could speak to him."  
  
"Oh that would be fantastic, thankyou."  
  
Nathan had made his way into the editors office posing as a reporter from another, more prestigious newspaper. He had asked about the old articles regarding Robert's original disappearance.  
  
The man moved over to his desk and took out a piece of paper and a pen. Bending over to write he said, " His name is Jack Eltherington. Your just in time, he's actually about to be transferred."  
  
"Well," Nathan laughed, "I've come a long way to get here anyway. My lift out of the city will be arriving tomorrow, maybe I can arrange to meet him." Nathan attempted to come across as though he was just business.  
  
"Well, good luck. Here is his contact number in case," The man handed the former naval captain the slip of paper he'd been writing on.  
  
" Thankyou very much, you've been most helpful."  
  
"Of course. Good luck with your article. Now if you don't mind making your own way out...."  
  
"No that's fine," Nathan nodded in mock understanding, business, he reminded himself.  
  
Bridger left the room feeling as though he were making incredible progress, his heart told him he was almost there but his mind could find no reason to make him feel so intensely sure. As he waited in the elevator he tucked the paper away safely into his pocket. As the doors opened for the ground floor he made his way hastily toward the exit. Unexpectedly, a large man approached him and unthreateningly took his arm.  
  
"Hello, I'm General Vishnore. May I have a quick word with you?"  
  
"Uh, no actually I'm in a hurry can we make an appointment?" Nathan stated calmly.  
  
"It regards your son, Mr Bridger." Vishnore whispered, almost evilly.  
  
Nathan desperately tried to hide a look of shock that jolted his calm demeanour. How could anyone know who he was? "I'm sorry, I don't know who you think I am but I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Yes, I believe you do."  
  
Bridger hesitated, he had already enlisted the Seaquest's assistance and they would be docking to pick him up in less than 17 hours. Besides, he was anxious to find all he could about his son. Although every instinct told him to ignore the man, he didn't want to pass up an opportunity for information. "Alright," he eyed the man with interest, "What do you want?"  
  
Vishnore lead him down a deserted hall to a quiet room. There were two chairs and he obliged him to sit. Nathan agreed, eager to continue the meeting as quickly as possible.  
  
"Mr Bridger," Vishnore began as he sat down, "I strongly recommend for your son's sake and for yours that you discontinue your search. As far as you are concerned, the man you are looking for is dead."  
  
There was a lengthy pause. Nathan considered acting completely oblivious to what he was talking about but in the end his curiosity got the better of him, "And why is that?" Nathan queried, cautiously.  
  
"That question alone endangers your son."  
  
"That's an empty threat," Bridger stated, rising to leave the room, although he wasn't so sure, "but thanks for the warning," he added sarcastically, satisfied that he wasn't going to get anything but deterrents from this man, he turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, Captain," Vishnore removed a small slip so paper form his pocket and Bridger turned, "that may be so," he handed it to him, "but this, most definitely, is not."  
  
Vishnore left the room and Bridger looked after him. He casually glanced at the paper, ready to throw it in the bin and froze dead in his tracks.  
  
"Damn it," he cursed, fear gripping his heart.  
  
He looked tentatively at the photograph on the paper and the words unscripted underneath it, Ens. Lucas Wolenczak. Instead of fury, it was utter bewilderment and deep concern that rose up inside him as he left the building. He felt physically ill at thought of Lucas being involved in this and wondered how the hell Vishnore knew about his affection for Lucas. Obviously this guy wasn't just some messenger under orders to steer him away from Robert. They had dug deep, and they knew more than Bridger thought they would. This was going to be more difficult and dangerous than he first thought.  
  
In spite of Bridger's meeting with Vishnore, he was determined to push the thought of Lucas' involvement far out of his mind. There were too many more important things to worry about than the games of secret services. He'd learned that with Section Seven.  
  
  
  
The manglev came to a holt outside the communications room. Lucas Wolenczak, completely emersed in the computer readouts Hudson had ordered him to analyse, walked through the doors oblivious to the stillness of the room. Suddenly, a man jumped out from behind him and roughly wrapped a hand around his mouth. Lucas dropped his papers in suprise.  
  
"Shutup," the man whispered holding Lucas' arm. Despite the terrified look in his eyes that said 'What the hell?', Lucas obeyed. The man gave a nod of his head and another man appeared preparing duct tape. At this, Lucas panicked and began to struggle. The man holding him pulled a stun gun out of his belt and shocked him. Lucas gave a muffled cry and his knees buckled in pain. Before he was able to recover, duct tape secured his hands behind his back and tapped his mouth shut. Lucas' weak attempts to break free as they dragged him away rewarded him with the intensely unpleasant sensation of electrical shocks. 


	2. CHAPTER TWO

I would like to thank everyone for the feedback. I am so sorry that this has taken so long, I honestly did not mean to leave it so long but my computer has been evil.  
  
Oh, and the places and character extra's in this piece are made up.  
  
  
  
After Bridger had left the institute, he immediately made his way back to the place he was staying at. He couldn't travel all the way back to the island because it was just too far. So he'd left Michael with the trusty sitter and rented out a hotel room in the city. Now, he sat comfortably on the bed of the nicely furnished room and began making arrangements to meet Eltherington. After dialling the number he fully expected to get an answering machine. Because he assumed that someone that he wished to speak to so urgently would have to be busy, he was surprised when a male voice answered the phone.  
  
"Hello, who's speaking?" the voice asked.  
  
The familiarity of the voice took Nathan's breath away, so much, in fact, that if his thoughts hadn't been so completely pre-occupied with his son's disappearance, he could have sworn that the man on who answered the phone was Robert.  
  
"Hello?" the man persisted.  
  
Nathan searched for his voice, shaking himself out of his numbness, "Uh…hello, I would like to speak to Jack Eltherington."  
  
"Yes, speaking. Who's this?"  
  
"Sorry, I'm just a reporter. I want to ask you a few questions about some seemingly highly classified, unidentified documents that came into the hands of a small time newspaper…"  
  
"Oh, no," the man's voice was definite, "No journalists, sorry I can't help you." He then immediately hung up without waiting for a reply.  
  
Nathan was confused. Why would the man deny being involved in a perfectly valid investigation? Then he realised, Eltherington was likely to be working for a government agency. There was no way he could be a layperson inquiring about information like that, it just wouldn't add up. Nathan cursed himself for assuming that the man was probably just another reporter. He was beginning to realise that working with things that were personal really did affect his judgement, no matter how professional he thought he was. Nathan wondered what to do next. He couldn't let this man go. He was the only lead he had. There was only one thing left to do. He had to call back.  
  
He swallowed his pride and took a deep breath, before dialling the number.  
  
This time the phone rang for a little longer before it was answered. Eltherington picked up the phone. "Hello, who's speaking."  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry about before," Nathan began hurriedly, "But I need your help. I'm looking for my son. I need to know if you know anything about Robert Bridger."  
  
There was a long pause on the other end. Nathan began to wonder if the man was still there.  
  
Then came the reply, "Who?"  
  
"Robert Bridger," Nathan repeated patiently.  
  
"Who are you?" the question was close to abrupt and Nathan had wondered if he had approached this the wrong way again.  
  
"My name is Nathan Bridger."  
  
"Nathan Bridger is an officer of the UEO navy, not a reporter," the man sounded extremely stern, "now tell me your real name or I'll have this call traced and you'll be prosecuted for spying."  
  
'Oh my God, how the hell does he know who I am?' Nathan decided that this confirmed that this guy was definitely working for the government, and his work was obviously really important.  
  
"My real name is Nathan Bridger, but I'm retired from the navy. I'm not a reporter. I just need to speak with you. I can even provide you with identification."  
  
The man was silent. "Where are you?" he asked finally.  
  
Nathan was surprised but relieved. I'm in the town of North Terrace.  
  
"Alright, I want you to go to the cities mall and find Joey's central café. Bring your identification. Ask for Bert and you'll find out where to meet me. See you in about half an hour." At this, Eltherington hung up the phone.  
  
Nathan was left holding the phone with his eyebrows almost touching his hairline. 'That sounded like dialogue from a spy movie. Definitely an agent of the government,' he thought, shaking his head as he put down the receiver.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back on the Seaquest, Hudson was sitting at his table waiting impatiently for Wolenczak's report on the paper work he'd given him. He'd called the officer twice already to come to his office and their had been no response. Looking at the clock in frustration, he decided to try another tactic.  
  
"Commander Ford, have you seen Ensign Wolenczak?" he asked after he'd dialled up the bridge.  
  
"Uh, no sir, not since he spoke with you last," Commander Ford's voice replied over the com-link. There was a pause, before he asked with concern, "He's not answering the call, sir?"  
  
"No, he hasn't arrived at my office. I was just wondering if he'd made a mistake and gone to the bridge."  
  
"Do you think something's wrong, sir?"  
  
"I don't know, but I really need those reports," Hudson replied, obviously moody and preoccupied, "Can you set up a search for him? He can't have gone too far."  
  
"Yes, sir" Ford replied a little more concerned.  
  
Commander Ford cut the communication and turned to a Lieutenant that we've never seen before, "Unwin, I need you to set a small search party for Ensign Wolenczak. It seems that he won't answer the ship wide calls."  
  
"Yes, sir," the man answered, rising from his station to carry out the order.  
  
Commander Ford turned back to his work with a bewildered look on his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Nathan Bridger made his way down the unfamiliar street. He'd resisted the urge to catch a taxi in the fear that he may get dropped off at the wrong place. He was now realising how stupid that was. Nathan was seriously looking forward to the professionalism of the Seaquest's assistance while at the same time becoming really concerned of what his former crew would think of him if they saw how many stupid mistakes he was making. He turned right into the open air, street-wide mall. He couldn't see right to the other end, even though the mall was a completely straight right down to the end, due to sheer amount of stalls and people that crowded the public place. Unsure on the how far away his destination was, he picked up his pace so he wouldn't be too late. He passed a small looking shop called 'Joey's downtown café' and assumed that the central café that Eltherington had referred to was further up. He felt the weight on his chest relax with relief knowing that he was headed in the right direction and began to observe the small shops and big-name eateries such as McDonalds and Pizza Hut. After not long, he reached his destination. 'Joey's Central Café' was a small but upper class looking cafe, which looked almost like a clone of the one downtown. Nathan confidently walked over through the entrance and stood by the counter.  
  
"Can I help you?" a neatly groomed young woman wearing a white waitress blouse and a black apron addressed him.  
  
"Hi," Nathan couldn't help but smile at the pleasant young girl, " I'm after Bert, please."  
  
The girl looked at him a little bewildered, "Bert?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
It was obvious to Nathan that she had no idea what he was talking about. He became concerned and embarrassed, wondering if the whole thing had been a hoax to get him to leave Eltherington alone. Before he could respond, however, a voice cut through their conversation.  
  
"Your after Bert, sir?" a man, probably in his mid-twenties, dressed in similar attire to the girl strolled over to Bridger from around the counter before turning back to the girl, "It's alright, Katrina, I've got it."  
  
The girl nodded and went back to looking busy. Nathan turned the man and smiled, "Yes, are you..?"  
  
"No," the man cut him off, "I know who you are, Bert will be with you shortly."  
  
As Nathan nodded his response, the man walked back behind the counter and poked his head around a corner, conversing with someone. He turned back to Bridger and acknowledged his presence with a nod before disappearing completely behind the 'staff only' door. Moments later a small women in her early thirties came out from behind the same opening and made her way over to Nathan.  
  
"Nathan Bridger?" she addressed him.  
  
"Yes," He answered, wondering if this was the 'Bert' he was told to meet.  
  
"I understand you have identification?" she was very polite and pleasant but serious.  
  
"Oh, yes," Nathan replied fumbling through his pockets and revealed various forms of photo id, including his UEO issued naval identification, "Are you Bert?" he asked, feeling incredibly self-conscious and ridiculous.  
  
The women smiled as she looked carefully at the cards he was handing her, "We knew what you meant when you asked for Bert," she said, "I'll just need to verify these," the woman informed him, looking up briefly and moving back to the counter. Nathan followed behind her for the short distance and watched as she ran hand held scanners across his cards to ensure that they weren't fake. The scanners had been introduced into licensed café's since 2017 to check the identification of youngsters who ordered alcoholic drinks. These days fake ID's were virtually impossible to pull off. When she'd finished she handed the cards back to Bridger with a smile and then took a pen and quickly scribbled something down on a piece of scrap paper. Folding it up before anyone could see what was written on it, she handed it to Bridger.  
  
"Get a move on," she said as Nathan took the paper from her, "if you're late, he'll be gone."  
  
Nathan nodded his thanks and wasted no time leaving the café. He barely stopped as he unfolded the paper and read the scrappy handwriting on it. It read: 'Bus stop 51 Terrace to Silver Creek departs 3:12pm'. Nathan looked at his watch that said it was five past. Unsure of whether his time matched Eltherington's or the Bus timetable he quickened his pace and made his way over to the street where he was sure to find the nearest bus stop, hoping to be directed to number 51.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Seaquest officers moved around the bridge in their usual busy activity as Captain Hudson made his way through the metal doors.  
  
"Any word, Mr. Ford?" Hudson asked expectantly.  
  
Ford turned around with a very confused and concerned look on his face. "Sir, Unwin has just informed me that Lucas is nowhere to be found, but the papers that you needed, sir," Ford paused, trying to understand the information himself before giving it to Hudson, "the papers were found down near the shuttle bay section four – scattered all over the floor, sir."  
  
Hudson's eyes narrowed and he cocked his head in confusion, "Scattered over the floor, Commander?" the Captain's voice was bewildered but demanding, "Your saying that it appears he was abducted?"  
  
"Well, not necessarily, sir but these are all the facts we have," the commander's facial expressions were hard and very serious.  
  
"But he can't have been removed from the boat, Commander," Hudson's voice remained tactful, but unnecessarily informative, "This is a the UEO's finest naval vessel. Our security systems wouldn't allow an unauthorised exit of a shuttle craft."  
  
"But they did, sir," O'Neill's voice cut through their conversation, "I've just detected the absence of one of our vessels, sir. It's estimated that it departed approximately one hour ago."  
  
"Why the hell didn't it detect it an hour ago?" Hudson yelled, "You should have been aware the second it departed!"  
  
"This wasn't my fault, sir," Tim remained completely calm and professional throughout the Captain's verbal assault, "It looks like someone put a worm through our systems just before the unauthorised departure. It targeted and area of our systems that was so small it wasn't detected until a few moments ago."  
  
When Tim looked up the Captain had calmed down and Commander Ford was standing beside him with a horrified look on his face.  
  
"So he was abducted," Commander Ford said quietly trying to comprehend the fact that someone had so easily passed through the security.  
  
"Ensign Wolenczak's safety and whereabouts is not our first concern at the moment," Hudson's voice was loud and clear, "This is wartime, gentlemen. Security breaches like this are of extreme concern. I want a full security check of the entire boat, with particular focus on the area targeted. I don't want scapegoats, theories without evidence or any more breaches of the system. Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Commander Ford replied.  
  
"Understood, sir," O'Neill could not bring himself to agree that Captain Hudson would not scapegoat.  
  
Hudson nodded and briskly left the bridge. Ford and O'Neill exchanged concerned glances.  
  
"We can't afford to worry until we know anything," Ford told Tim, "He'll be okay, we'll find him."  
  
Tim nodded his thanks, "I know," he said. Jonathan knew that Tim was the crewmember who would perform best under emotionally extenuating circumstances. Although he wasn't as militarised as Hudson would like, he wouldn't let his emotions get in the way of doing a good job. He just hoped that they fixed the problem before they had to dock in North Terrace.  
  
  
  
  
  
Lucas' eyes felt sore and itchy. The warmth of the air brought attention to his uncomfortable position where he lay on his side with his hands wrapped together tightly behind him with duct tape. The perspiration on his face hadn't loosened the tape on his mouth, and he was forced him to breath through his nose. One of the man who had abducted him from Seaquest moved over to him and lifted him up from the floor. Remembering the viscous shocking he'd received during his trip, and not seeing any real necessity to struggle, Lucas decided to comply.  
  
On his exit from the shuttle Lucas realised that he'd been taken to what looked like a communications base. He'd gathered that from the unusual amount of technical equipment that surrounded him. Masses of ununiformed men and women confused him, as the civilian clothing gave no clue for him to identify who they were or where he was, let alone their intentions.  
  
He was led quickly through a number of twists and turns, which successfully disorientated him before he was pushed through a door and into a room. The room was about the size of a bedroom. With his back to the door that he had entered, Lucas noticed that there was another door in the centre of the wall on his left. A large conference table sat in the centre of the room surrounded by chairs. There was another chair that sat on its own the left hand corner of the room. The door closed behind him and the man who had dragged him through the maze grabbed his shoulders and cut the duct tape that secured his hands before releasing him. Lucas brought his hands around in front of him and pulled off gag and the remaining tape on his hands. He turned around to face his captor.  
  
"What do you want?" he demanded, knowing that this was violating his rights.  
  
The large man stared at him without answering. Before Lucas could repeat himself, the other door opened and three men neatly dressed in suits and ties entered the room. They all appeared to be around the same age of about late thirties, possibly early forties. Lucas spun around at the noise.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded, "Why am I here?"  
  
"Mr. Wolenczak, sit down," one the men answered. The man that spoke had sandy coloured hair with a reseeding hairline. Although his accent was the same as Lucas' he had a presence about him which distinctly reminded Lucas of almost every master mind criminal that he had come into contact with since he'd come aboard Seaquest.  
  
Lucas took in a deep breath, "I want to know want I'm doing here," the young man spoke in his distinctly deep and defiant voice.  
  
Lucas felt a vicious blow into the small of his back. He jerked his head up as he cried out before falling to his knees. He grunted weakly as he hit the floor. Before he could recover from the pain, the man who had escorted Lucas to the room grabbed him by the arm and hauled him over to a chair that faced the three men across the table.  
  
"Lucas," the man with the sandy hair addressed him again, "we are here to assess how co-operative you will be during your stay with us. We need to know how much security we will need for you and whether or not we need to restrain you or leave you free to wonder about in your cell."  
  
Lucas was beginning to panic. "You have no right to do this," the fear was evident in his voice, " You can't keep me hear. LET ME GO!"  
  
The large man grabbed a hold of Lucas to restrain him and almost immediately applied a small tazor to Lucas' neck. Lucas let out a shrill scream of pain. And continued to struggle. The man hauled Lucas from the chair and struck him hard in the stomach, once, twice. Lucas grunted as the wind was knocked out of him and crumpled to the floor. The man pulled out a larger stun from his jacket and shocked Lucas in the back for four long seconds. Lucas writhed under the electricity but made no sound before he lost consciousness.  
  
The three men stood calmly as the large man placed his batten back into his pocket.  
  
"Restrain him," the sandy haired man said, "Give him a blindfold this time too."  
  
The large man nodded. At this, the three men left the room.  
  
  
  
  
  
Nathan checked his watch as he waited by the side of the road next to the bus stop number 51 as a bus stopped beside the sign, the doors opened and passengers began to get off. Bridger moved over to the front of the bus to take a look at the front of the bus that flashed its destination. Just as he moved around to check that it was the correct bus he was looking for he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was. What he saw caused him to gasped in shock.  
  
"Oh my God," he whispered. Just then his knees gave way and the man had to grab a hold of him so he didn't collapse. Their gaze locked and the man tightened his grip on Nathan's arms. Together they shook as they both slowly sunk to the ground.  
  
"Oh my God," the younger man repeated Nathan's words as he stared at him, "Dad." 


	3. CHAPTER THREE

OKAY I'VE DECIDED THAT THE CHAPTERS ARE WAY TOO SHORT AND I REALLY THINK THAT DRAGGING THIS STORY OUT MIGHT TAKE AWAY ANY INTEREST IN THE PLOT..  
  
SO THIS SHOULD BE THERE SHOULDN'T BE TOO MANY MORE CHAPTERS AND THE OTHERS SHOULD NOT BE TOO LONG IN COMING BUT THEY MIGHT STILL CONTAIN ERRORS….. Yeah, I KIND OF ONLY NOTICE ALL THE MISTAKES ONCE I'VE ALREADY POSTED IT!  
  
ANYWAYS HERE WE GO…  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
Nathan had no idea how long he and his son stayed hugging together on the sidewalk. It just seemed so surreal. He'd been grieving and searching all this time, so much had happened. Now here he was, one small break and he had found his son in a matter of days, alive, well and happy to see him. He had left the navy, lost Carol and rejoined the navy all while his son was assumed dead. He couldn't conceive that his son was now only fourteen years younger than himself, what must have he been through that Nathan had missed? He had so many questions, finding out if his son was still the Robert he lost long ago was a hurdle that they had to get over before they could even begin to try to explain everything else that just didn't make sense.  
  
"Dad.." Robert's voice made his heart leap. He had found him. He had really found him. He had never let him go, he still missed him so much. It was as though an entire section of his life was just a completely different chapter – or an entirely different book and the two parts that didn't mesh had somehow been shoved together.  
  
"Oh my God, Robert," Nathan pulled away from his son's grasp and took his face in his hands. Tears were streaming down both their faces. "My boy," he whispered unable to express the confusing and overwhelming emotions.  
  
Suddenly something snapped in Robert, "Dad!" he said wide eyed, "It's not safe for you! You have to get out of here, you're in danger!"  
  
"In danger from who?" Nathan asked.  
  
"I'm sorry," Robert pulled from his father's grasp, "You have to get out of here, far away, somewhere safe. I need to check on my wife," Robert had freed himself of his father's grasp and was backing away quickly from the direction he had come in.  
  
"No!" Nathan was determined to stay with his son, "I'll go with you!"  
  
"No, Da.." Robert started.  
  
"Robert," Nathan caught a hold of his son again, "I'm not going to lose you again."  
  
"Alright," it didn't take much for Robert to be convinced, he was hesitant about leaving his father anyway, "This is going against every instinct as a soldier, but.."  
  
"This is not about being a soldier," Nathan corrected firmly and forcefully, "You are my son, it's my job to protect you."  
  
"Dad, I'm an adult and I understand the situation better than you."  
  
"Then explain it too me," Nathan begged. At this the two became suddenly aware of their public surroundings, both at the same time it seemed. Nathan took charge, parental instincts kicking in, "Come on, you said we need to get to your wife." Robert didn't argue but immediately grabbed his father's arm again and pulled him away with him.  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
Hudson paced the wardroom in front of two of his best officers, who were seated next to each other at the table. "So you're saying that you have no leads on who practically sabotaged our boat this morning?" Hudson was stressed, but his anger was not directed at either of his officers.  
  
"Well sir, we do know that it wasn't just anyone," Communications officer Tim O'Neill replied, "It was most definitely a secret service, the whole method and layout of the bug and the strategy was way to high profile to be a rogue group of any kind."  
  
"A secret service, Mr O'Neill? Any idea whose spies may have come aboard especially to kidnapped one of my officers?"  
  
"No, sir," O'Neill said regretfully, looking down at the table.  
  
Commander Ford had sat silently the whole time, his arms folded, looking at the table as well.  
  
Hudson sighed, "Well do you know what else they got up to while they were here?"  
  
Ford slowly shook his head, "From what we can gather, sir, that's all they were doing here."  
  
Hudson looked at his Commander for a long few moments, almost disbelievingly, "You're telling me that you think a 'high profile', secret service mission was set up _just_ to kidnap Ensign Wolenczak?" Ford shrugged in response and continued to stare at the table, obviously distressed himself. Hudson continued to look at both of them, arrogant stance, one eyebrow cocked, "I'm beginning to understand Ensign Wolenczak's conceited attitude." Neither of the officers argued. Hudson resumed his normal posture and ran a hand through what was left of his hair, sighing. A dull feeling of nauseating helplessness filled the air. Hudson leaned forward and put his hands on the table for support. "There has to be something we can do," he said, "People don't just get abducted from a top security naval vessel, damn it!" He slammed his fist on the table. Jonathan shut his eyes briefly. "Wait!" a light bulb came on in Hudson's eyes, "Is there any evidence he could have gone willingly?"  
  
"No," Tim replied defeated, "There's evidence of chloroform."  
  
Hudson remained in his crouched over position, "Well, we'd better hope it was Section Seven…." He cut himself of, realising, "No this is bad no matter what," He ran his hands over his face, "I'm going to contact McGath, see what he knows. You two are dismissed, resume your normal duties. This discussion isn't classified, so say what you will."  
  
The other two nodded. There really wasn't much to say. Not only had they lost a valuable crewmember and a friend to an unknown fate, their personal and national security had been compromised more than ever before. Tim followed Jonathan out of the room and Hudson was left in his own thoughts, wondering what he was going to do if McGath had absolutely no idea of what could have happened to his young officer – and his boat's security.  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
General Vishnore paced his office nervously. The room was very dark and small, it looked more like a basement section than anything else, where someone had forgotten, or neglected to turn on the lights. He was stressed. Bridger was becoming a serious concern but any action against him needed to be timed perfectly. The boy had been taken too soon. Vishnore's unnamed, second in command stood in the centre of the room, to attention, but not exactly in a military type way. His attitude was completely opposite to that of Vishnore's, as he remained completely calm. It was obvious from the tension in the room that Vishnore did not have as much power over him as he would like. "What happens if something goes wrong, you moron? We can't risk exposure!" Vishnore spat at his agent.  
  
"We're not risking exposure," the young officer in his late twenties whined.  
  
"You took him from the _Seaquest_. Could you have picked are larger more important vessel?"  
  
The young man pursed his lips in order to mock considering the question for a moment, "Probably not," he replied calmly.  
  
Vishnore stopped and turned to his agent, ready to flame him for his 'insubordination'. Before he could speak the officer cut him off, "You warned Bridger if he pursued the situation, the boy would be at risk. Father and son are reunited; we no longer have any leash left to control either of them with. We're already in trouble. This kid is, at the moment, our only insurance."  
  
Vishnore looked at him, considering, "How do you plan to pull at Bridger's strings?"  
  
"That's the easy part," the officer smiled.  
  
"You don't have to actually hurt the kid just make sure Bridger thinks he's hurt, got it?"  
  
"Why do you always have to be such an essentialist – only what's necessary. I can judge what's necessary."  
  
"Alright, but I'm still not happy with the level of insurance. It might be all we have but we need more. I want Eltherington back. That's your main priority now. Do have anything you can use against him?"  
  
"No, sir. By the time we got the information, Eltherington had already had escaped with his wife."  
  
"Well I want him back."  
  
The officer did not disagree, "You got it," he saluted sloppily and left the room.  
  
  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
Hudson sat unhappily in his chair. McGath sat likewise on screen in his quarters, looking at him. The silence of the two men told the whole story.  
  
"You're going to have to abandon your current mission and focus on this. If we have no idea who has done this we need to find out very shortly," McGath ordered.  
  
Hudson nodded, hand over his mouth, "We were going to be docking in North Terrace, to pick up Bridger," Hudson sighed, "I have no idea how I'm going to tell him."  
  
"Just say that it's classified. If I know Bridger his mission is probably on the classified side too, he won't dig any further." Hudson lifted his head, the comment sparking another idea.  
  
"Maybe he'll know something," Hudson said confidently, " In my experience when two completely different classified situations pop up at the same time, it genuinely isn't a coincidence."  
  
McGath nodded, agreeing, "And they're usually not completely different."  
  
The two men looked at each other seriously, relieved that they finally had a break.  
  
"Continue with your current assignment," McGath ordered.  
  
Hudson nodded. He cut the link and left his cabin to meet with his crew.  
  
  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
Lucas' consciousness slowly filtered through into his foggy mind. The first thing his realised was that he couldn't open his eyes. He had felt the tap around his mouth and was beginning to feel incredibly claustrophobic. Panicking he went to bring his hands to his eyes but quickly discovered that they were restrained by heavy leather straps. He shifted his body trying to figure out his position. He was lying down on a solid table. His shoulders had already begun to ache and the pain in his back from his previous torture was surprisingly excruciating. He had also discovered that his feet we tied in a similar way to his wrists and his shoes had been removed. He jumped at a quiet voice in the room.  
  
"When do we start?" a man's voice asked. Lucas was frustrated at not being able to tell where the voice came from and rolled his head to the left side so his right ear could pick up more of what was being said.  
  
"No, this one's not here for interrogation," another deeper voice replied. The man sounded as though he'd be quite large. Lucas shivered at the word 'interrogation'. But silently thanked God that he didn't need to go to the bathroom yet. He was sure that if he had he would have wet himself at the thought of sitting like a lab rat, vulnerable, unable to escape, see or speak, ready to be tested. Lucas couldn't remember being more afraid in his life. He strained his ears for further conversation but there was none.  
  
  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
  
  
The first job of the Bridger's had been to reunite Robert and his wife with their own son. Although they hadn't been separated for as long as Nathan and Robert, tears of relief and joy were shed throughout the long reunion. Nathan and Robert had shared information about the situation that they were in. Robert had refused to give any information on his work and his exact whereabouts for the past umpteen odd years but did confide that he'd been forced to join the group that he was with due to blackmail where his superiors threatened his family. He explained photographs of Nathan and Carol, while she was alive, that he receive and warnings of "accidents" that could be arranged.  
  
As Nathan noticed that darkness was falling, he looked at his watch, "I think I'm going to have to go soon,"  
  
"Where on earth would you be going at a time like this?" Robert's wife enquired.  
  
"I contacted the Seaquest before I found Robert," he paused, taking a deep breath – he still couldn't believe it, he'd found him! "The Seaquest officers are my former crew," he added, smiling.  
  
"Dad, I'm going with you," Robert said, "If you think they can help us you'll need me there."  
  
Nathan hesitantly looked at his son. He was well into his adult years now, with a family of his own. He really should be ordering him about for his own protection. After all, Robert probably had more training than Nathan. But his parental concerns won and he tried anyway. "You need to stay here to look after.."  
  
"Don't give me that, you know their safe," his son cut him off, getting up from the table they had been sitting at, "I'm just going to get ready," he stated, before leaving the room to get his bag.  
  
Nathan sighed and looked at the table. "Don't worry," Robert's wife put her hand on his arm, "I trust both of you completely, and the people who you decide to trust as well."  
  
Nathan smiled at her in appreciation.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
  
  
The wardroom was fuller this time. The entire senior crew had gathered to be briefed by Hudson.  
  
"We will be docking in North Terrace as planned. I haven't spoken to Mr. Bridger yet but I get the feeling that there's more to the story than he's letting on."  
  
"But sir," Henderson spoke up, "How do you know that Captain Bridger has anything to do with this?"  
  
"There are way too many suspicious circumstances to be all a coincidence, Lieutenant. I have had experience with this type of thing," Hudson explained calmly. Hudson looked around at his officers. If the crew disagreed, they didn't show it. Hudson decided to approach the issue that he'd been avoiding. "I understand that you're all worried about Ensign Wolenczak, some of you especially so. I'd like to remind you that the better we do our jobs on this particular mission the more we guarantee his safety." The crew unenthusiastically nodded in response. Tony was sitting at the table very quiet but he still had all his colour, unlike Tim who was showing no other signs of deep concern apart from his pallor. Hudson stood up and left without dismissing them. He had enough to worry about with the security of the boat, slippery politics, and his own personal concerns for his young officer. He didn't need concerns on how the crew were dealing with the fact that the most vulnerable member of the crew had been abducted right out from under their noses and they didn't know where he was and whether or not he was okay, let alone what they could do about it.  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
Lonie Henderson sat in the mess hall poking her food around her plate. She was feeling quite ill. The guilt for feeling vulnerable herself, as well as being concerned for Lucas plagued her mind. They had been shocked into the realisation that they were not as safe as they always thought they were, surrounded by military, and away from battle. But at the same time, she wondered if she would ever see her friend again. They'd seen many crewmembers killed, especially after Hyperion, but Lucas was barely out of childhood, the fact that he might be hurt or dead punched in the reality that it could happen to anyone. Anyone.  
  
"Hey, how you doin'," the new Lieutenant Zach Biggs was grinning broadly as he interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, sit down," she said in a scratchy voice.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned and trying to look at her face as he sat down.  
  
"It's Lucas," she said looking at his face to see if Zach remembered him.  
  
"The kid, right?" Zach replied.  
  
She nodded, "He was abducted yesterday. From the Seaquest,"  
  
"Your kidding," he said, "Is he okay?"  
  
She paused, "We don't know," she whispered, lowering her head.  
  
Zach looked at her for a few moments, a small amount of sympathy written on his face. It was obvious, however that he barely knew Lucas. It felt to him just like any other bad news.  
  
"Hey," he said gently, putting his hand on hers, "Don't worry about it, people go missing a lot, they come back, don't they," he smiled at her.  
  
Still looking at her plate, Lonie smiled too. He was right. But it didn't make it feel any better. She looked up at him and he smiled again, still with his hand on her arm. She knew that smile.  
  
"Look," she said, unsure how to explain that this was really not the time for him to flirt with her, "I'm with Jonathan right now." He removed his hand from hers, not looking too surprised.  
  
"Sure," he said still looking into her eyes, "But if you need a friend."  
  
She nodded, "Yeah, thanks," she was relieved to watch him get up and leave without looking back. She sighed. It was times like these that having a reputation for flirting with everything with a penis had its consequences.  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
Commander Ford and Captain Hudson stood silently as they waited at the docking doors for Nathan Bridger to appear. They had been informed that Nathan had been reunited with his son; Robert the day before and Robert would be coming aboard with him. Nathan had explained that they had a 'situation' which more than confirmed Hudson's suspicions. Commander Ford tried to concentrate on his excitement and curiosity about his former Captain's son to keep his mind of Lucas.  
  
The doors opened and out stepped Nathan Bridger, looking the same as he did the last time he Jonathan and Hudson had seen him.  
  
Jonathan stepped forward to greet him with a large smile, "Nathan, great to see you," the two men shook hands. Nathan and Hudson exchanged pleasant nods of greetings.  
  
"Hello, Oliver," Nathan greeted.  
  
"Nathan."  
  
Behind Nathan another man stepped out. Taller than Nathan, with his black hair showing a few slithers of grey, the similarity in his eyes and nose showed that he was unmistakably related to Nathan Bridger. Nathan turned to his son, "Gentlemen," he announced, "this is my son, Robert." Jonathan stepped forward to take Roberts hand.  
  
"It's great to meet you. You have no idea how much we've already heard about you," Jonathan said. Robert smiled back, already comfortable with Jonathan's presence. He looked at his father to confirm that what Jonathan said was true. Nathan just smiled. Hudson stepped forward to greet the younger man.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't say the same myself. I've only just recently had the pleasure of meeting your father," Hudson stated.  
  
"That's fine. I'm sure it won't take too long for us to get to know each other," Robert replied pleasantly.  
  
"Well," Hudson said once they had all been acquainted, "I think that you should brief us in the ward room."  
  
"All right, Oliver," Nathan replied. He turned to his son to ensure that he was following then moved forward behind Jonathan.  
  
"It's great to meet your crew," Robert said to his father as they tagged behind the two Seaquest officers. He motioned to Jonathan, "He's a great guy."  
  
Nathan smiled, "Wait until you meet Lucas," he said. Roberts facial expressions explained that he had already been told about Lucas quite a bit, "Yeah, I'm sure," he replied.  
  
Once the four men were seated in the briefing room Hudson began, "Nathan, we need you to explain what's going on." Nathan looked at Hudson's face, which told him something was wrong.  
  
"Why? What's happened?" Commander Ford and Oliver Hudson both opened their mouths to speak at the same time. Ford quickly closed it and turned to Hudson, nodding for him to continue.  
  
"Nathan we've had a serious breach of security. One of our crewmembers was abducted from the boat two days ago, taken right from under our noses. The systems didn't pick it up until an hour after an unauthorised shuttle had left." Nathan wanted the whole story.  
  
"Who?"  
  
The was a pause before Jonathan answered, beating Hudson, "Lucas." Nathan stared at them.  
  
"Lucas was abducted," he confirmed, his voice raised in stress. Hudson nodded.  
  
"McGath and I thought you might have some information that could help us find him – and who took him." Nathan was only barely listening. His heart was in his throat and he felt himself shaking slightly. No, this couldn't be happening, not when he had just found his son. Why was he destined to be put through grief?  
  
"Do, do you know if he's okay…?" he asked with difficulty, shaking his head. Hudson shook his head too.  
  
"No, we have no idea what happened to him," Nathan shut his eyes. He just felt like he had been punched in the stomach.  
  
"Nathan, are you okay?" Jonathan asked with concern.  
  
"No I'm not," Nathan said, "But we do need to talk about this."  
  
Hudson leaned forward, "So you do have some information?"  
  
Robert answered for his father, aware of the shock he was in, "Yeah. My father just tracked me down somehow. That kind of broke the curse. I wasn't able to track him down because the people who I was working for – am working for, erased my identity and threatened my family if I ever left tried to leave."  
  
Jonathan frowned, "So why did you have another family after he left? Isn't that just giving them more ammunition?"  
  
"No," he responded, unthreatened by the question despite its nature, "Once I found out both my parents were dead, I couldn't really see any point in trying to return to my normal life. It had been too many years any way. So I thought that I might as well start a new one."  
  
"Who are these people?" Hudson asked. Robert looked at him and shook his head, indicating that he wasn't going to say.  
  
"NO?" Hudson demanded in shock.  
  
"No," Robert stated in determination.  
  
"So, Nathan," Jonathan addressed his ex-superior, continuing whilst ignoring the staring match between Robert and Hudson, "How did you find Robert so quickly?"  
  
"I got some leads from a Section Seven contact," Nathan said, regretfully, having now recovered sufficiently to conduct a conversation.  
  
"So this is Section Seven affiliated," Hudson said.  
  
"No," Nathan and Robert corrected in unison.  
  
"The information enabled me to trace him through a part of the media which had pick up on some of his activities," Nathan explained.  
  
"But it does involve classified operations," Hudson said. Robert shrugged in response to the semi-rhetorical question.  
  
The conversation continued on more pleasantly and Nathan was able to explain exactly how he tracked down Robert. Robert gave all the information that he felt comfortable giving, which was nothing solid.  
  
"This isn't really helping us," Hudson mumbled disappointed.  
  
"Well, actually," said Nathan, shifting in his chair, "I was approached by a man named Vishnore…"  
  
"Vishnore?" Robert had paled slightly, slowly turning to his father.  
  
Nathan looked at his son, "Who is he?" he demanded.  
  
Robert hesitated, "He's…my commanding officer," he said slowly, obviously being careful about what he said as he said it, "The one who issued the threats about you and mum."  
  
Nathan looked at him, less shocked than would be expected, "Well, it seems that threatening people seems to be this man's job."  
  
"Why, what do mean?" Jonathan asked flatly, before Nathan could continue. Nathan looked at Hudson and Ford before taking out a photo of Lucas and slid it across the table.  
  
"He gave me this and told me that it wasn't an empty threat."  
  
Ford picked up the photo and looked at. Hudson gave it a glance and turned his attention back to Nathan. Hudson had now only just completely understood Bridger's relationship with this boy.  
  
"How could he know you so well," the question was directed at Nathan but it was meant for Robert.  
  
"He'd been monitored extensively for my benefit," Robert replied.  
  
"Is there anyway we can contact this Vishnore?" Hudson asked, just as Jonathan put down the photograph.  
  
"Well, yes there is," Robert replied, "I work with him. But I need to return to base quickly so that I'm not missed."  
  
"What about Anna and Michael?" Nathan asked his son.  
  
"I'll have a team sent out to ensure the protection of your wife and son, even though I'm sure their already safe," Hudson offered.  
  
"Thankyou, I'd appreciate that," Robert replied.  
  
"Alright, I'll get right on it," Hudson said standing, "You better get going," he said to Robert. The man nodded. Before he left Robert placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder as an offer of support. Nathan took a hold of his arm and looked up at him, nodding in appreciation. Robert let go and left the room.  
  
"Nathan, are you okay?" Jonathan asked one more time.  
  
Nathan shook his head, "I don't know, Jonathan," he said with a sigh.  
  
  
  
*************  
  
  
  
"Alright, you're ready to go," O'Neill announced through his headset on the bridge.  
  
"Thankyou, Seaquest," Robert replied in the shuttle through his own headset, as the shuttle left the docking bay.  
  
"Do they know where Lucas is?" Piccolo asked Tim as he removed his headset and turned to his computer.  
  
"They've got a pretty good idea, Tony," Tim replied.  
  
"Do you think he's okay?" Tony asked, missing his usual confident attitude.  
  
Tim looked up at him, "He's a hostage, Tony. It's more than likely that he's alive and relatively healthy. Tony looked relieved. He looked up at Lonie who looked at him with her own relieve in her eyes.  
  
"I told you, it'd be okay," Biggs said quietly next to her. She turned and smiled at him.  
  
"Sir!" A junior officer cried out to Commander Ford, "Bridger's shuttle is in distress."  
  
Nathan, who had just arrived onto the bridge walked over to the Captain's chair with a look of horror on his face.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hudson demanded.  
  
"He had another tailing him, sir," she replied.  
  
"On screen," Hudson ordered. But it was too late. The screen emerged just in time to see Robert's shuttle being apprehended by the unidentified shuttle chasing him and watch it disappear.  
  
"You've got to track it!" Bridger cried.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir," she said, less excitement in her voice, "we lost him." The bridge fell silent as everyone realised they'd been done over again. Hudson allowed Nathan to sit in his command chair, which he fell into heavily. Now he'd lost both his sons……  
  
"Sir, we're getting an incoming transmission," Tim announced. Nathan sat up, his heart beating faster. Hudson walked around to stand next to him and Ford followed behind.  
  
"Put it on screen," Hudson ordered. The screen was filled with the long face of a man in an unmarked uniform. His face held no reason to be unattractive without any blemishes but he was ugly all the same.  
  
"Vishnore," Nathan stated, a greeting and introduction to his comrades at the same time.  
  
"What have you done with my son?" Bridger demanded.  
  
"A great deal of things Mr. Bridger," Vishnore replied cheerfully.  
  
"I want him back," Nathan said.  
  
"Which one?" Vishnore asked. At the look on Bridger's face he laughed merrily. The crew looked angry, now that they knew what had happened to their friend. The men could be seen tightening their jaws. All with the exception of Dagwood who look worried, he understood more than anyone realised. "If you like, I will release one," Vishnore offered.  
  
"How do we even know that have Ensign Wolenczak?" Hudson challenged. Vishnore pondered the question and then turned around and nodded his head. A few moments later the large man who had escorted Lucas to the questioning room where he was assaulted before his restraint brought the teenager forward, holding him by the left arm and the scruff of the neck. Lucas still had the duct tape around his mouth and eyes, so they couldn't see how he was emotionally. But he looked extremely pale and dried tears wear visible wear they had marked his face. The worst thing was that Lucas didn't struggle; he stood stiffly and obediently as he was roughly pulled away.  
  
Nathan heard himself and a few others gasp quietly at the sight of their friend. "I will release _one_," Vishnore repeated.  
  
"Which one?" Nathan asked fearfully.  
  
"Which ever one you like Mr. Bridger," He smiled; "I'll call you later," with that he cut the link.  
  
Nathan stared at the screen in a sort of numb shock. Hudson looked at him and then looked down, unsure of what to say. Jonathan knew that everyone in that room wanted him to chose Lucas but they couldn't bring themselves to ask him to leave his son behind. Nathan stood up and left the bridge. No one followed him. The bridge crew slowly went back to work. Nathan was lost in his own thoughts. This was going to be the most difficult decision he had ever had to make. 


	4. CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
HI, THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK. WELL I BROKE MY PROMISE BECAUSE THIS CHAPTER TOOK LONG IN COMING OUT AGAIN. THERE WERE SOME BITS HERE THAT I KEPT RE-WRITING BECAUSE I WAS TRYING NOT TO MAKE THEM SOUND TOO OVER DRAMATIC OR.. 'DONE BEFORE' - IF U KNOW WHAT I MEAN...  
  
ALSO I HAD A BIT OF TROUBLE UPLOADING THE DOCUMENT WHEN I'D FINISHED! HOW EMBARRESSING : - |  
  
WELL AFTER THIS THERE SHOULD BE ONE MORE CHAPTER AND THEN AN EPILOGUE.  
  
The bridge crew had been very quite for the passed couple of hours since Robert had been captured and Bridger had been forced to make a nightmare of a decision.  
Meanwhile the Seaquest wasn't going to sit back and wait for further harm to be bestowed on their fellow crewmember. The communications team, lead by Tim O'Neill, had found that the vessel that apprehended Robert Bridger's shuttle was unable to be tracked due to high electrical current frequencies sent out through their area of the ocean.  
  
After hours of intense frustration, Tony came over to Tim who was staring motionless and frustrated at the readouts of the tracking equipment.  
  
"Hey, Tim," Tony called gently, putting his hand up against the desk Tim was working at and leaning on it. Tim looked over irritably, annoyed at being interrupted.  
  
"Yes, Tony?" he demanded.  
  
"Tim," Tony begun, ignoring the irritable tone in his friend's voice, "I think you need to take a break." Tim looked as though he were about to protest. Then he looked back at his computer at the seemingly useless information on the screen. "Come on, you've been at it for hours," Tony reasoned.  
  
"Yeah, and I've managed to discover that there's nothing I can do," Tim stated dejectedly.  
  
"Tim," Tony placed his hand on his shoulder, "it'll work out okay. At least we know where he is now." Tony looked up quickly hoping that Bridger wasn't there to hear what he said. He had never known Robert and, even though he was their former-Captain's son, his emotions were overwhelmingly occupied by concern for Lucas.  
  
"Yeah, we know he's not okay," Tim sounded very upset. They hadn't talked about Lucas' appearance since they had first seen him hours ago.  
  
"He was alive and he didn't look too badly hurt," Tony told him trying to convince himself.  
  
"He didn't even struggle," Tim was staring off into space, "Lucas normally fights with everything he has. What the hell did they do to him?"  
  
"He probably didn't see much point in it, they'd secured him pretty good, he was probably just feeling trapped," Tony tried to reason. Tim shivered at the word 'trapped'. It was something that he personally harboured as one of his greatest fears.  
  
"I just hate feeling helpless. He looked so young," Tim whispered, he was going to add 'Why Lucas?' But he knew that they both knew very well why Lucas had been taken. He sat back in his chair running his hands over his face, sighing, "He's too young for this."  
  
Tony didn't refute him. Instead he patted Tim's shoulder, "Let's go get some food." Tim rose and followed Tony off the bridge.  
  
"Do you think they interrogated him?" Tim's words made it feel like sharp ice particles had just pierced Tony's chest. He stopped short, sucking in a hot heavy breath and then letting out a loud sigh.  
  
Tony looked at Tim who stood facing him, a few steps in front of him. He tried to think of something to say like 'who would torture an eighteen year old kid' or 'they probably know everything he could tell them anyway'. But he was passed trying to convince himself, "That's enough, Tim," Tony said so sternly it almost sounded like anger.  
  
"I'm sorry," Tim, said, Tony's anger snapping him out of his over-emotional state.  
  
"It's okay, man," Tony said as he walked up to Tim. As he took his arm momentarily, they both started walking together again, "We're all worried about him. But we need to think positively and strategically if we're going to think about it and if we can't do that, then we're going to change the topic."  
  
Tim rolled his head back, almost looking at the roof and grinned in spite of himself, "That sounds like something I would say!"  
  
Tony grinned too, "You're rubbin' off on me."  
  
  
*************  
  
  
Nathan sat in the wardroom with his head in his hands. A glass of water was set down on the table in front of him. Although he was surprised that he hadn't heard anyone come into the room, his face didn't show any amount of surprise as he lifted his head up. His eyes were puffy from tears but the former UEO captain still did not look weak, despite the pain.  
  
"How you doing?" Jonathan Ford asked as he took a seat opposite.  
  
"Oh, I've been better," Nathan, said, "I've been much better."  
  
"Been worse?" Jonathan asked trying to be positive.  
  
"That's what I'm trying to think about. I guess I have but I've dealt with all that already. This...well, I never thought anything like this would happen," his last few words became a whisper and it was evident to Jonathan that he was still in shock over the whole thing.  
  
"You know neither of them will be killed. The UEO won't let that happen." Jonathan comforted.  
  
"I lost faith in the UEO a long time ago, Jonathan,' Nathan stated gently. Ford did not look too surprised, rather lost for any more words of comfort.  
  
Nathan looked up, seeing that Jonathan was searching his mind and heart for some words of comfort. He was such an amazing man, driven, loyal, devoted, sharp-minded and strong. But he was also caring, friendly, accepting and forgiving. Nathan smiled at his former Commander, "Thanks, Jonathan. How are things on the bridge?"  
  
"Dead end roads," Jonathan sighed, "More of them."  
  
"I've been thinking about...what Vishnore said," Nathan began. Jonathan was surprised. He didn't expect Nathan to want to talk about this so soon, "At first I tried to figure out if he was serious, if I think he really would release the one I chose. I think he would," Nathan took a deep breath, "As unfortunate as it is, this is about me and my son. Lucas should not be involved in this. I have no right, and no desire, to risk his well being when he has nothing to do with this. We need to keep this where it belongs."  
  
"I know this must be a tough decision," Jonathan put his hand on Nathan's.  
  
"There's no decision to make. I can't help but feel more responsible for Lucas. I don't if he's younger, less experienced or if I feel an obligation to him because he's unwanted by his family." Jonathan took his hand away and averted his eyes. Nathan looked at him, "I know you wanted me to choose Lucas.."  
  
"Captain, I know how much you missed your son.."  
  
"Jonathan, let me finish. I just want to say that it's okay. It's completely understandable. I'm very glad that he has people that care this much for him." Jonathan nodded.  
  
"Well, you wait for that bastard to call back and I'll go check on Tim, see if he's found anything," Jonathan got up to leave.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Hudson stood in front of his vid-screen, furious and absolutely shocked.  
  
"Unfortunately not," McGath replied, "We can't seem to get away from them."  
  
Hudson slammed his hand on the desk, "I _knew_ section seven were involved in this!"  
  
"It isn't as bad as it sounds, Oliver," McGath informed him, "They say they've been having serious problems with these people for quite some time. They know exactly who they are."  
  
Hudson raised one eyebrow, "And where we can find them?" he challenged.  
  
"Uh, no. Unfortunately not,"  
  
"Do they know that these people are holding two UEO officers, one who is under _my_ command?"  
  
"Oliver, this is Section Seven we're talking about. They really weren't interested in anything we have to say. But, yes, they are aware of Ensign Wolenczak's abduction. That is what brought their attention this time around."  
  
"This time around?" Hudson was still annoyed at the likely involvement of Section Seven.  
  
"Well, like I said, they've had problems with these people before." MaGath was being very patient.  
  
"So they know exactly who they are," Hudson confirmed, repeating McGath.  
  
MaGath nodded, "So they say,"  
  
Hudson stood looking at him for a few moments, expecting him to continue, "Well?"  
  
"They wanted to meet up with us. They profess that the information they have is strictly confidential and on a need-to-know-basis,"  
  
Hudson rolled his eyes, "Well, according to them, do we 'need to know'?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
"You'll find out soon, Oliver. They have two agents on their way right now,"  
At Hudson's unexcited look, he added, "You'd better let them on, Oliver,"  
  
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" It was a rhetorical question. Hudson didn't wait for MaGath to reply before he severed the link.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
The mess hall bustled with activity as sailors moved around with their food, eating and chatting. Tim and Tony were no exceptions. They were trying to keep positive so that they didn't loose their cool.  
  
"Hey, guys," Lonnie greeted them in her usual friendly tone.  
  
"Hey," Tim replied, gesturing for her to sit down.  
  
"Any luck, Tim?" she asked as she set her tray down opposite him, next to Tony.  
  
Tim let out an exasperated sigh and Tony's facial expressions clearly told her that she had just asked the wrong question.  
  
"I've found nothing. This is Lucas' expertise, not mine,"  
  
"Well Lucas isn't here, Tim," she stated the obvious, sternly.  
  
Tony looked up sharply to glare at her. She ignored him and continued looking at Tim instead, "What do you mean you've found nothing?" she pursued.  
  
"What do you mean what do I mean?" Tim was getting pissed off, "I can't track the vessel or the communications transmission. I don't know where they are," he stated slowly and deliberately.   
  
"Guys!" Tony interjected, "Settle down. We're not helping Lucas by getting stressed out and upset," he looked at Tim, "We just talked about this."  
  
Tim put his hands up in surrender to Tony, "I'm sorry," he said, looking at Lonnie to include her in his apology as well.  
  
Lonnie looked upset, "Can I just find out what's going on without getting my head bitten off? I care about him too," she begged.  
  
"Alright, okay," Tim waved his hand to allow her to question, "What are you getting at?"  
  
"Do you know why you can't track the vessel? It picked up one of ours. Surely, if you can't track the communication, you should be able to track the vessel. There has to be some trick."  
  
Tim sighed, "They sent out a high frequency electronic wave through the water as they took off. It confused any signals that we could've picked up."  
  
"Oh," Lonnie stated dejectedly.  
  
Tim was about to express his hopelessness again when a light bulb came on, "You're a genius," he said gently as he looked up at her.  
  
"What?" she asked. Tony looked similarly confused. Tim jumped up out of his seat and raced out of the mess, leaving his forgotten food on the table. The other two jumped up and followed immediately.  
  
The trio sprinted onto the bridge, racing over to Tim's station. Tim fumbled with his equipment as he tried to catch his breath. He looked over at the others, "The electrical frequency," he puffed, "It's so obvious." The other two hadn't quite caught on.  
  
Not caring whether they had or not, Tim continued to explain further, "I can track the signal! If they sent out a signal, it must have been sent out _from_ somewhere." Tony and Lonnie appeared enlightened, and thrilled. Tony moved over to peer over his friends shoulder as he madly typed at his keyboard.   
  
Across the other side of the bridge, Biggs stood still with his eyebrows raised, looking enquiringly at Lonnie. She gave a glance at her two excited comrades before moving over to speak to him.  
  
"Tim might have worked out a way to track the vessel which took Bridger," she explained, excitement subdued.  
  
Zach Biggs looked more shocked than surprised but recovered quickly, "Wow, good on him. So you think you might be able to get your friend back sooner than you thought?"  
  
Lonnie was a bit lost for words, "I, uh, hadn't really thought about when we would see him again," she paused, wanting to enlist Bigg's sympathy for Lucas, not really sure if he understood how big the situation was, "Lucas is only eighteen, you know. He's just a kid. He shouldn't have to be put through this."  
  
Zach looked at her carefully, his attractive face revealing nothing about what he felt inside, "I know," he said quietly.  
  
This seemed to satisfy her, because she nodded and walked back over to her two friends.  
  
Jonathan Ford chose this moment to walk onto the bridge. Lonnie was pleased that she would be avoiding another grilling session as to her relationship with the new Lieutenant. He immediately made his way over to where Tim was still working at his board. Looking curiously at his fellow crewmembers that surrounded the communications officer, he asked, "Found anything, Tim?"  
  
Tim took a breath to answer but didn't look up, "Sir, I've been able to track the signal which scrambled up the signal of the vessel." Ford leaned in closer and Tony moved out of his way.  
  
Pleased he was occupied, Lonnie turned around to see if she could find Zach. He was gone. She frowned, that was strange. She shrugged with further relief and turned back to the three men in front of her.  
  
Commander Ford was pointing to the screen and Tony was looking on eagerly but trying not to get in the way, "That's in American waters. Find out what's supposed to be there, we may need to check it out." Tim nodded and Tony smiled happily. The Commander turned his attention towards Piccilo and Henderson, "You two get back to work."  
  
"Yes, sir," they saluted him, and then moved off.  
  
"Lieutenant," he addressed O'Neill as they left, "Good work," he smiled. Tim nodded back.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
"Will you do what you say?" Bridger was in the middle of a strained conversation with Vishnore. The transmission had been put through on a private line earlier and only Hudson and Ford were in the room with Bridger. They both stood back, almost out of sight from the vidlink.  
  
"Of course, Mr. Bridger," Vishnore purred in a sly, unbelievable tone, knowing that Bridger had no choice anyway, "One last thing. The condition of Wolenczak's safe return is that you do not attempt to track down Robert again. He is mine, do not attempt anything or your ex-ward or whatever will not be so safe. Is that understood?"  
  
In the background, Hudson rolled his eyes irritably at the threats. Bridger didn't take them so seriously either.  
  
"Okay, Vishnore. You have a deal," he said confidently. Before he could ask anymore, however, Vishnore severed the link.  
  
Ford lifted his eyebrows, "That's it? No conditions on the drop off?"   
  
Bridger stared unhappily at the screen, "I guess we'll just have to cross out fingers."  
  
"We'll be doing more than that," Hudson cut in, "Section Seven has arrived on the scene," he looked at Bridger.  
  
Bridger looked confused, "No, it wasn't related to Section Seven. The articles were anti-Section Seven."  
  
Hudson shrugged, "Take it up with the agents," he fumed, "They'll be arriving here," he looked at his watch, "very shortly."  
  
The three men stood looking unhappily at each other.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
The two agents did arrive very shortly indeed. And, as promised, Hudson did not keep them waiting at all. He invited the two men into the wardroom along with Nathan Bridger and Ford, thinking that they would be appropriate witnesses to whatever would be said. General MaGath was also on screen, virtually 'present' at the meeting.  
  
The atmosphere was stiff with resentment and posed pleasantries. The two men were dressed neatly in casual looking suits with fancy looking ties and blue undershirts. They didn't seem to possess any special devices and the give away cloak-and-dagger sunglasses-inside cliché was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"We need to get our hands on the leaders of this group," one of the men started.  
  
"Who are the leaders of this group?" Hudson interjected.  
  
The man put his hand up, "First thing's first," he explained. Hudson looked as though he where about to argue but he caught a look from MaGath and closed his mouth.  
  
"Like I said," the man continued, "They are attempting to bring down section seven. The group is a rival group within UEO bases but became independent of the UEO military alliance some time ago."  
  
"How long ago?" MaGath asked.  
  
"Approximately two decades ago," the man answered.  
  
"A long time," Bridger mumbled.  
  
"They used to just be a different section of the UEO secret service," MaGath nodded, he already knew this, "But as you know, secrets services can become corrupt," Hudson and Nathan exchanged sarcastic 'oh really?' glances which were ignored, "Not only that, when two different sections are independent of each other and have complete self authority with no one to answer to, one can turn rogue."  
  
"Which is what happened," the other shorter and chubbier man took over, "Due to its political affiliations the group has been named 'Party Operation'... and is now also classified as a secret terrorist group."  
  
The agent allowed a few moments for this information to sink in. By now the agents had the UEO officers' special attention, "Our main concern is that they are trying to bring down section seven," the taller officer stated.  
  
"Do you know for sure that they are trying to bring down Section Seven? Or is that just a hunch?" General MaGath queried.  
  
"We know for sure. As a group that was once attached to them, we are the last pillar they have before they can go right under ground. Speaking metaphorically, of course. Once Section Seven is out of the way, they will have a lot more power. There will be a lot of governments at there mercy - including the American government."  
  
"Once Section Seven is out of the way?" Bridger mimicked, "You make it sound as though Section Seven is a weak organization."  
  
"Far from it," was the curt reply, "The fact is, that Party Operation is a very strong organization. Remember, it is not just military. It is a political organization as well."  
  
"As Party Operation is a threat to us, it is also a threat to the UEO. So we are requesting your co-operation," the chubby man added.  
  
There was a moment of silence before General MaGath spoke, "Gentlemen, could I have a moment alone with my officers please?"  
  
The two men looked at each other hesitantly before nodding in agreement, "We'll be waiting outside the door," the taller man said. The two stood up and left.  
  
Once the door had been firmly closed. MaGath began, "I'm afraid we are going to have to place our complete trust and co-operation in Section Seven,"  
  
Hudson was not amused, "Complete!?"   
  
"I know, it sounds a very serious issue to be placing with these types of people but trust me this is the best option. I have already met with the board of the UEO. They fear that cutting relations with section seven to avoid any backwash that this may cause will only turn section seven themselves into another rogue group due to their complex networks and secrets."  
  
  
At the mention of section seven's secrets the three men looked crest fallen. Obviously, they had all had very negative experiences in this area.  
  
  
"Of course, due to the cold war with Macronesia we cannot afford any more complications. You may be aware that The Macronesian government is not likely to be at the mercy of such a group, which means that if anything goes wrong, this war is going to get a lot warmer," he continued, seriously.  
  
MaGath paused a moment to ensure that he had the attention of all three men,   
"The issue is officially classified. Only the people in this room are to have knowledge of this information. Dismissed."  
  
McGath's face disappeared from the screen and the three men were left to dit and think about the information that they'd just received.  
  
Nathan broke the silence, "Well, I think in order to ease any suspicions that these 'Party Operation' agents may have in whether or not I keep my end of the bargain, I had better return to the island." He looked up at the Captain and Commander for approval.  
  
Hudson nodded, "That sounds like a good idea."  
  
"We'll let you know the second we hear anything about Lucas," Ford offered gently.  
  
Bridger shut his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, "Thankyou," he said. He then got up slowly and made his way out of the door. As he left the room the two Section Seven agents poked their heads through the door.  
  
"Are you finished?" the taller man, whom Hudson had now gathered to be the higher ranking of the two, stated his question relatively politely.  
  
"Uh yes," Hudson waved them over, "Come in."  
  
The agents walked over to begin discussing what they needed from the Seaquest crew.  
  
  
*************  
  
Nathan fumbled with his keys as he stumbled up onto his doorstep. Before he opened the door he took a few moments to reflect on the last few days. So much had happened. It was almost too much to handle. He thought about giving Michael a call as he shoved the key in the lock and opened the door but by the time he had entered the house, he had already changed his mind. He'd rather wait until..Or if.. No, don't think about it, everything would be okay. No sooner had he plonked his bag down on the floor, there was a knock on the door. Nathan stopped short, wondering if he'd heard right. Noway, they would have had to be right behind him. Why didn't they just call out to him?  
  
Nathan heard the knock again and turned around to open the door. The young looking face of brown haired man greeted him in his twenties. Although Bridger did not recognise him, this was the same agent who had been conversing with Vishnore.  
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Bridger," the young man smiled. He was very attractive, but Nathan already disliked him as he had a very unpleasant presence about him.  
  
"Can I help you?" Nathan asked, surprising himself by his politeness. He would usually say, 'Listen, I don't know what you're selling, but I've got it. Bye.'   
  
"I have the delivery you ordered," the man said.  
  
Nathan frowned, "No I haven't ordered anything. You must have the wrong house. Thankyou very much, Goodbye." Nathan went to close the door but the man put his foot in the way.  
  
Nathan looked at the boot wedged between his door and the wall and then up at the man, with a bewildered look on his face, "You're on private property. You're going to have to leave before I call the police," Nathan threatened.  
  
"Alright well should I take him with me?" the man threw a battered Lucas to his knees in front of the door.  
  
Nathan let out a gasp, feeling ill to the stomach, "Oh my God, Lucas!" he cried, dropping to his knees to tend to his friend. As he took the boys face in his hands he noticed that the gag and blindfold had been removed. Lucas face was pale and he had red marks under his eyes from exhaustion.  
  
"Captain," Lucas managed to rasp out weakly. Nathan looked into his eyes and could see that he had been through hell.  
  
Vishnore's associate chose this moment to put his gun to the back of Lucas' head. Nathan froze and Lucas swallowed hard, averting his eyes. Bridger kept one of his hands on Lucas' cheek but moved the other down to his shoulder to squeeze it as a sign of support and a protection. He then moved his eyes up to focus on the young man holding the gun.  
  
"It's time to go inside now," the man stated calmly.  
  
"What's going on?" Bridger was frightened for Lucas but managed to keep it out of his voice.  
  
"Inside, Mr. Bridger," the man warned, pushing his gun against Lucas' head. Nathan put both his hands on Lucas' shoulders, patting him lightly, before getting up. Nathan stood looking at his enemy for a few moments before the agent nodded at him and Nathan moved backwards into the house. Keeping his eyes on the man who held his friend hostage.  
  
As soon as Nathan was a safe enough distance away, the man grabbed Lucas by the arm and hauled him up roughly. Lucas gave a small cry and grimaced in pain at the assault on his aching body. Bridger stopped his retreat and almost began to advance in anger, clenching his mouth closed.  
  
"Move further inside, Bridger," the man prompted, still holding Lucas.  
Nathan obliged and the man followed. He then approached a nicely furnished breakfast table. It was about knee height and had a vase of flowers placed on it, which were now withering. He pulled out a set of handcuffs and snapped them around Lucas' left wrist and then to the leg of the table. He moved over to where Bridger was standing and ordered him to kneel next to a coffee table, which was next to the lounge chairs. Nathan did what he was told and was similarly cuffed to the table.  
  
The man moved back over to Lucas and, gently pushing the teenager to his knees, removed a small black device about the size of a tennis ball but the shape of a football from his trouser pocket. He knelt down and grabbed the teenagers jaw. Nathan yanked at the cuffs, his knees turning to jelly.  
  
"What are you doing?" he demanded, this time not able to keep the fear out of his voice.  
  
"Just a bit of insurance, Nathan," the man replied, distracted. He was trying to get the device into Lucas' mouth, "Lucas, if you fight me. This will be a lot more unpleasant. I don't think your guardian here has heard your singing voice yet has he?" Lucas glared at him in more pain and humiliation than anger before opening his mouth and allowing the device to be shoved inside. Duct tape then secured his mouth closed, effectively holding the device in place. Lucas shut his eyes in pain, he was getting sick of duct tape and restraint. The man then placed a hood over Lucas' head.  
  
"I'm just going to check through your house, Mr. Bridger. We would like to see that you are keeping your end of the bargain." Nathan immediately said a prayer of thanks that Michael and his sitter were away safe and that he had destroyed all his documents.  
  
"That is bomb in the youngster's mouth. I catch you making a move and it goes off, taking his pretty young head off with it," the man threatened, "Do you understand?" Nathan was furious.  
  
"Hasn't he been through enough?" Nathan pleaded. The agent was making his way out the door as Nathan spoke. At his words he turned around and swiftly moved towards Lucas, violently kicking him in the stomach. Lucas cried out loudly through his gagged up mouth as his body was tossed from his knees onto his side. Nathan cursed heavily as he shut his eyes in agony and yanked, once again, at his own restraints.  
  
Once the man had left, he lifted his head to look at the still teenager on the floor, "Are you alright, Lucas," he pleaded in concern. Lucas didn't nod his head, even though Nathan could tell from the way his muscles were tightened that he wasn't unconscious. For the next few minutes Nathan was lost in his own agony at watching one of the closest people to him lying in pain not feet from him.  
  
The man walked quickly through the house, surveying everything in sight. He fingered the small button in his pocket as he strained his ears for any sign of movement from the other room.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, he returned to the room, "Thankyou for your co-operation, Mr. Bridger," he said as he moved over to uncuff Lucas, "I hope I never hear from you again." He then walked over and released Nathan from his restraints, "Good day," he said casually and walked out the door.  
  
It was then that Nathan realised the bomb was still in Lucas' mouth. Rushing over to remove the hood, he carefully undid the duct tape over the boy's mouth. Lucas spat the device out in disgust and relief.  
  
There was a short moment of pause before the two men eagerly embraced each other. Lucas pushed his head into Nathan's shoulder, while Nathan breathed in the smell of his hair and enjoyed the feeling of finally being able to hold him.  
  
"Oh Lucas. Thank God," Nathan whispered. They eventually pulled away. As they did so, Lucas still had his eyes averted. Nathan tried to look into them but settled for stroking Lucas' hair out of his face.  
  
"Come on, I'll take you over to the lounge chair," Nathan lifted Lucas up and helped him the short distance to the chair, "Do you want some water?" he asked, once Lucas had sat. Lucas looked up at him briefly and nodded. As Bridger moved off into the kitchen, Lucas sat down and wrung his hands for a bit before his former Captain returned with a glass and gave it to him. Lucas drank quickly.  
  
Nathan sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders, "Are you okay?" he asked again looking at the exhausted young man.  
  
"Any idea who those men where?" Lucas avoided the topic, his voice a lot stronger than before.  
  
"Uh, we have some idea," Bridger began unsure on how much to tell Lucas.  
  
"We?" Lucas clearly had absolutely no idea.  
  
"Yeah, the UEO," Nathan answered. Then he decided to start from the beginning, "Did Oliver tell you that I was close to finding my son?"  
  
Lucas' eyes showed a flicker of memory, "Ooh, that's right. We were going to dock in to pick you up. You wanted our help." Lucas' blue eyes were fixed on Bridger in interest.  
  
"That's right. Well I found him."  
  
Lucas forgot momentarily about his ordeal as excitement flickered across his face, "You _found_ him?!"  
  
Nathan laughed, "Yeah. I found him."  
  
"Well...where is he?" Lucas asked eagerly.   
  
Nathan shut his eyes at the irony of the situation, "In the possession of the same men who were holding you hostage," Nathan said seriously.  
  
Lucas felt weak. He knew there had to be some connection there but he couldn't quite piece the puzzle together. At Lucas' fallen expression Nathan continued, "These are the same people that he has been working for, for the time that I thought he was dead."  
  
"Why did -," Lucas swallowed clearly upset, "Why did they take me?"  
  
"Well, they thought that when I found Robert they had no way of black mailing either of us so they thought that you were the next closest person to me. They were right."  
  
"They were?" Lucas asked quietly.  
  
Nathan gave him a quick hug, "Yeah they were."  
  
Lucas looked fearful, "So how did your son get back into their hands?"  
  
"His shuttle was apprehended as he left the Seaquest." Nathan decided to leave the part out about Robert going back to help Lucas and the decision he had been forced to make. Nathan didn't need to say another word because Lucas didn't ask any more questions, realising how hard it was on former Captain Bridger.  
  
"Do you know who these people are?" Lucas asked, "I mean, if I recall correctly I was taken from the Seaquest. That's pretty impressive," Nathan rolled his eyes at Lucas' description of the kidnapping. Trust him to use a word like impressive to describe something so ingeniously evil.  
  
"We do know, Lucas but it's classified."   
  
Lucas looked angry, "Even for me?"  
  
Nathan ignored Lucas' arrogance, "Yes, 'even' for you."  
  
"But...I was _assaulted_ by these people... Do, do you have any idea what happened to me??" Lucas was getting angry. At some point in his argument he had stood up and was now facing Bridger who sat on the couch.  
  
Nathan stayed calm, "No I don't. Why don't you tell me, Lucas?" he asked gently.  
  
Lucas looked at him with hurt in his eyes and said nothing for a few moments.  
  
"Come on, sit down," Nathan patted the couch, "You need to talk about it."  
  
Lucas looked at the ground, "Okay," he said quietly as he sat down. Nathan felt a ting of nausea in his stomach. He didn't want to hear about Lucas being hurt, but he felt he owed it to him. He just hoped he could help make it better.  
  
"Well," Lucas began the story of how he was captured and repeatedly assaulted and restrained, "That's pretty much it," Lucas finished defeated. It didn't sound as bad now he had just talked about it. He felt pathetic. Nathan didn't feel the same way. He caressed Lucas back and pulled him into another gentle hug, which Lucas gratefully accepted.  
  
"I'm just going to call your Captain, let him know you're okay," Nathan said as he patted Lucas' shoulder and got up to go into the other room. Just before dialling up the vid link he took a few moments to lean up against the wall with his eyes closed. 'My poor boy' he thought 'I'm so sorry this happened to you'.  
  
He didn't have to wait long before he saw Ford's face on the screen. Ford looked at him, wondering what was the matter, "Should I patch you through to the Captain, Nathan?" he asked, guessing that it must be confidential.  
  
"Yes, you might as well," Nathan agreed.  
  
"Nathan," Hudson greeted seriously, "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Well, not everything Oliver. But Lucas has been returned here."  
  
"Is he alright?" Hudson asked.  
  
"He's been traumatised and he was treated fairly viciously but he has no serious injuries. He can walk around and talk okay," Nathan explained.  
  
Hudson looked relieved, "So they returned him to your place," he said with interest.  
  
"Well, I'm the reason he was taken," Nathan said bitterly.  
  
"It's not your fault, Nathan. Just take care of him until someone gets there," Hudson tried to reassure him, "Their ETA is about one hour. We're not far away."  
  
"Thanks, Oliver," Nathan said, ending the conversation.  
  
Nathan walked back into see Lucas after his short conversation. Lucas was still sitting on the couch, a little more vulnerable than usual.  
  
"They'll be here in about two hours," Nathan told him as he sat down.  
  
Lucas nodded at him gratefully, "Thanks."  
  
"Can I see how you're hurt?" Nathan asked, "We have some time I might as well save you the agony of a prolonged physical."  
  
Lucas didn't smile at the joke. Instead, he hesitated briefly, "Okay," he said.  
  
Nathan helped Lucas remove his uniform shirt. Lucas didn't smell too bad despite not having showered for three days but Bridger could see that he had been perspiring profusely.   
  
Nathan was extremely upset at the state of the teenager's upper body, but tried not to show it as he examined the abrasions and bruising on his back, chest and stomach. The burn marks that the electricity had made where still very angry and red and he had a small circle of deep bruising around each one of them. Nathan wasn't going to count them, but he already knew that there were too many. His boy hadn't just been assaulted; he'd been tortured to an extent. No wonder it hurt to move around too much.  
  
"I'm just going to get some ice," Nathan breathed, trying to keep his emotions in tact. Lucas nodded with his head down.  
  
Bridger tended to Lucas the best that he could. He tried to be as gentle and eventually he got sick of trying to cope with Lucas' muffled whimpers of pain and went into the medicine cabinet to grab some strong pain killers.   
  
By the time the Seaquest had arrived Lucas was asleep on Nathan's lap. He had cuddled the battered teenager gently and rocked him off into oblivion, trying to heal the hurt the best he could.  
  
"Lucas?" Tony's gentle voice broke Lucas out of his foggy dreaming.  
  
"The crew are here to take you back to Seaquest," Nathan said as he stroked Lucas' hair.  
  
"Can he walk?" Tony asked.  
  
"He should be but I gave him a pain killer so you might have to help him."   
  
"Okay," Tony said as he helped Lucas off the couch.  
  
"See you soon, kiddo," Nathan said to Lucas.  
  
"Okay," Lucas said, barely awake as Tony helped him out.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
After Bridger was sure that Lucas was back on Seaquest he wasn't really sure what to do. He knew that he would be contacted as soon as he was needed and he was doing his bit just by staying away to avoid suspicion. But things had happened so fast the past couple of days. Stopping so quickly was kind of like an anti-climax. His adrenalin was still rushing. He thought about getting something to eat but he couldn't stop thinking about Robert and Lucas, which made him nauseous. He decided that there was no point in unpacking because hopefully he would have to be leaving soon anyway. There was nothing more to search for. So he resolved to just sit and plot what he would do to Vishnore for hurting his loved ones.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
"So the boy has returned to the Seaquest," Vishnore mulled over the news, "If Bridger wants to stay on his island in order to make us think that he's not up to something, he made a big mistake sending the boy back so quickly. After all, the teenager has been through a terrible ordeal."   
  
"You're right," Vishnore's right hand man was revealed to be standing in the office again, "I would have thought that Mr. Bridger would wanted to stay with him for at least a few days if he knew that they weren't going to see each other for a while."  
  
"Obviously he is planning on meeting up with his comrades in the near future," Vishnore suggested, "I wonder what they're up to."  
  
"Maybe you should give him a call," the young agent suggested with a snicker.  
  
"Maybe I should," Vishnore agreed.  
  
  
*************  
  
  
Nathan Bridger was so lost in thought that his beeping comlink startled him. Surprised that the Seaquest had contacted him so early, he got up quickly to go and answer the call. He froze as he saw his now archenemy's face.  
  
"What do you want? You've got a nerve calling, you son-of-a-bitch," Bridger spat at him.  
  
"I just wanted to check that you would still keep your end of the bargain Mr. Bridger."  
  
"You have a real hide asking that after one of your _goon_ hauled a teenage boy into my house and held him hostage and terrorised us in my own living room." Bridger snarled at him through his teeth.  
  
"Well," Vishnore laughed, "We hope that won't be happening again any time soon, don't we?"  
  
Bridger just stared at him, "Like I said, Nathan, we own Robert now. Do not track him down. Do not attempt to turn him against us. Do you understand?"  
  
"What I understand is that my son is already against you, he doesn't need my help and if you threaten him or Lucas again, then I won't keep my end of the bargain," Bridger severed the link in fury, determined to show that he still had some power. He breathed in a stressed sigh. Anna and Michael were safe, he reminded himself. Lucas was safe; surely they would not attempt another attack on Seaquest. There was no point in waiting here, he thought. He had might as well report to UEO headquarters. As the old saying went, things had gotten personal.  
  
  
*************  
  
Vishnore sat at his desk. The room was light in the usual way. He was bent over his consol, concentration written over his face. He hit a button and the screen said, 'MESSAGE SENT'.  
  
  
*************  
  
The computer was already turned on inside the small room. A hand moved over and pushed some keys. The message read, 'See that the boy has an accident'. The recipient immediately erased the message. Zach Biggs got up from his computer; ready to fill out his next order. 


	5. CHAPTER FIVE

OMG! I TOOK MY TIME DIDN'T I! WELL IT IS MY AIM TO HAVE THIS COMPLETED BY OCTOBER. WISH ME LUCK!  
  
OKAY, I'VE ADDED MORE TO CHAPTER FIVE, THERE SHOULD ONLY BE ANOTHER TWO CHAPTERS.OR IF EVERYTHING GOES OKAY I MIGHT EVEN MAKE IT ONE MORE.  
  
LISETTE POINTED OUT ONE OF MY PLOT HOLES IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.WHY WOULD VISHNORE RETURN ROBERT AND KEEP LUCAS? GOOD QUESTION. WITH LUCAS HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MANIPULATE THEM AND MAKE THEM DO WHAT HE WANTED.  
  
IT'S PRETTY WEAK I KNOW. BUT THE REAL SHOW HAD GAPING PLOT HOLES TOO.. JUST ATTEMPTING TO JUSTIFY MYSELF ..THANKS FOR POINTING IT OUT!  
  
OH YES, I MUST APOLOGISE FOR THE 'ACTION' SCENES IN THIS CHAPTER..ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW I COULD IMPROVE WILL BE GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED.  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
The boardroom at UEO head quarters held many important people, all of who were uptight and stressed. None of the Seaquest crewmembers were at the meeting.  
  
Secretary General McGath was speaking, "The UEO, combined with Section Seven have decided that Robert Bridger is officially _our_ officer. He was trained under the UEO and was serving with us at the time of his disappearance. We have enough evidence to suggest that he is being held against his will. We are therefore treating him as a hostage and are regarding Party Operation's actions as hostile and as a direct threat to the UEO." He paused glancing at the other members of the meeting who nodded in agreement.  
  
"I gather there will be no negotiations?" a board member asked.  
  
"That's right," McGath answered him, "Absolutely no negotiations."  
  
*************  
  
".Under those conditions the UEO demanded that our officer be released immediately," Hudson stood in front of crew of the Seaquest and exhaled an exasperated sigh. The crew waited patiently for him to continue.  
  
"Due to Party Operation's refusal to co-operate, we are recruiting a team which will be made up of Section Seven and UEO personnel. Mister Ford and Mister O'Neill, you have been chosen as members. You will be briefed once you arrive at UEO headquarters. As for the rest of you, you will continue with your normal duties. Dismissed."  
  
As the crew began to leave the room, Lucas approached Captain Hudson. He was looking very tired and slightly grey but his features were masked with his usual determined and rebellious glaze.  
  
"Sir," he began, "Why aren't I on the team?"  
  
Hudson lifted his eyebrows in mild surprise, showing a definite distaste for his young ensign's arrogance, "You weren't needed ensign," Hudson explained simply, starring Lucas right in the eye. By this time everyone else had left the room.  
  
"Sir," Lucas raised his voice, "I was attacked! I."  
  
Hudson cut him off, "This no longer about you, Ensign," Hudson explained calmly, but with an air of superiority, "and this shouldn't be personal."  
  
"It's not just about that. I'm already involved. And besides," Lucas persuaded, "they'll need me."  
  
Hudson resisted the urge to roll his eyes and settled for looking at the ground instead. He looked up, "I will speak to the Secretary-General. Now, Mr. Wolenczak, Dr. Perry has relieved you of you duties for the next week, you should go and get some rest."  
  
Lucas looked at him for a few moments, trying to decide if there was anything else to say. Eventually, he nodded and left, leaving Hudson to shake his head.  
  
  
  
*************  
  
"This is great work," one of the UEO leaders smiled, looking at the paper that Tim O'Neill had just handed him. He let out a chuckle, "This isn't going to last very long. If they're holding Bridger at the same place as this signal was sent from, they're stupider than we thought."  
  
Tim O'Neill retained his modest facial mask, but grinned inwardly.  
  
"What are our orders, sir?" Commander Ford, who had been standing at ease next Tim, decided it was time to get things rolling.  
  
"It's quite simple, Commander, a routine ambush. For decades it has been U.S policy to assume that if the enemy makes their whereabouts really obvious, we are to assume that it is a stupid mistake on their part and not a trap," the leader explained, "So we will do what we always do, Commander, go in with limited weapons, skeleton personnel, and no prior information regarding the capabilities of the enemy."  
  
"Understood, sir," the Commander replied. The leader nodded, satisfied.  
  
"Nathan Bridger will be leading team," the older man looked at his watch, "He will be arriving to meet you shortly. You will also be accompanied by six elite members of section seven."  
  
"Nathan Bridger is leading the team, sir?" Commander Ford sounded surprised.  
  
"Is there a problem, Commander?"  
  
"No sir, it's just that Nathan Bridger is retired."  
  
"He is the best man for the job. He has been tracking these people for months. Not only that, he is very keen and volunteered his further assistance."  
  
Commander Ford only nodded, still concerned that the amount of personal involvement would cloud the ex-Captain's judgement, but not willing to question his superiors any further.  
  
*******************  
  
Nine blue combat suit clad officers moved swiftly through UEO corridors towards their awaiting vessels. Commander Ford stepped in behind Nathan Bridger who was sitting at the first vessel's main consul.  
  
"You don't think you should be staying on your island to avoid suspicion, sir?"  
  
Nathan shook his head, "Vishnore already knows that there's no way I'm leaving my son with him."  
  
Commander Ford nodded, appreciating that he wasn't going to talk him out of it, "Then we'd better get a move on, sir."  
  
"Right you are, Commander," Nathan flicked the controls with determination as they took off at top speed.  
  
**********************  
  
Lucas gave a small grin as he sat down in a private communications room onboard Seaquest, placing his headset around his ears. The room was completely equipped with every kind of communication and networking equipment available. Lucas had the equipment all to himself, to use for the purpose of the mission, of course.  
  
After, the UEO had finally agreed that Lucas would be a great asset on the team, Dr Perry had given specific orders that he only be available for certain periods of time to ensure that he didn't get sick given his previous ordeal.  
  
Lucas had not protested. He couldn't believe how shaken up he'd been by what had happened to him and what it had done to his confidence. He had tried to pretend that it didn't affect him, but in reality he was incredibly unnerved at being hurt continuously when he was powerless to stop the pain, and at being restrained against his will.  
  
He hoped this would put him back in control, of himself, and of the people who had hurt him. Lucas had always had power with computers. He could feel the fear seeping from him as his fingers began to dance across the keys.  
  
**********************  
  
The infiltration into the base had been no problem, although, as they expected, there weren't a large amount of people inside. Nathan assumed that most of the Party Operation personnel were in indefinite hiding.  
  
"We are inside the base, phase one completed," Ford spoke into a small mike connected to his ear as the rest of the team ran into a corridor and pushed themselves against the wall. Nathan Bridger indicated for the members to split up, he and Jonathan were left by the wall.  
  
"Understood Commander," Lucas replied.  
  
"The only people I've seen so far are in civilian clothes," Nathan Bridger observed.  
  
Jonathan nodded, "Just like Lucas said about where he was taken. This must be the same place."  
  
Nathan slowly poked his head around the corner to take a quick look and then brought it back around, "We're going to need access to their main computers."  
  
Jonathan nodded and then spoke into his mike, "Lucas, can you tell us how to get to the main control systems?"  
  
Nathan whipped his head around and gave Jonathan a shocked look, 'Lucas?' he mouthed. Jonathan gave a quick nod.  
  
"Uh no sir, I don't know where they are because I don't have access to a map of the facility, but I can access them."  
  
"Good, shut down all the power. Weapons, computers, escape routes, I want them all blocked off."  
  
"Aye sir," Lucas replied as he continued to plague the systems.  
  
  
  
*********************  
  
Vishnore paced stressed, once again in his dark, small office, talking to someone on a speakerphone.  
  
"Get over there," the unidentified voice ordered, "You must not allow them to take control of the other bases from that site."  
  
"What am I going to do?" Vishnore demanded, "That place holds limited personnel, most of whom are probably already dead."  
  
"You know your way around, you know your enemy and you know the system. I have faith in you, Dante."  
  
There was a distinctive click, which indicated that the person had hung up, which meant that Vishnore had his orders. He left to room quickly.  
  
*******************  
  
By the time Vishnore arrived, the combined UEO/Section Seven team had killed or apprehended most of the Party Operation soldiers.  
  
The whole team had regrouped and were making their way through the halls of the base, making sure that they hadn't missed anyone.  
  
"Ford, do you read me?" Lucas' voice came through Ford's earpiece.  
  
"Yes, Lucas, what have you got?"  
  
"I have control over the system, sir. From this system I have access to most of the other Party Operation bases which I can override."  
  
"Excellent, how long will that take you?"  
  
"I'll only be a few minutes, sir. But I don't think there's anymore you can do there."  
  
"Thanks, Lucas, I think you're right. Ford out."  
  
"So our job here is done then?" Nathan read Ford's expression.  
  
"Seems so, sir. Lucas has control of all the systems."  
  
"We'll be right to head back to our shuttle then," Nathan turned to the other men in the team and they followed his lead.  
  
***************************  
  
Zach Biggs stood quietly outside the door to the communications room, taking out his gun and carefully bringing his hand towards the handle.  
  
*****************************  
  
The team headed quickly towards the shuttles, which had not moved since they had docked there only a few hours ago.  
  
As Bridger began typing in the codes to the shuttle doors, the emergency lights and sirens turned on and began ringing out through the shuttle bay. Nathan and the rest of the team looked up, confused. Nathan immediately turned back to keypad, only it wasn't responding.  
  
"What's going on?" one of the section seven officers asked.  
  
"I don't know," Bridger replied, "It's not responding."  
  
"Lucas," Ford asked into his mike, "What are you doing?"  
  
Vishnore's voice interrupted, ringing out through the facility, "Mr Bridger, I didn't think you would keep your end of the bargain."  
  
"Does it look like I have Robert with me?" Nathan's voice was a mix of venom and victory.  
  
"I suggest you leave now, Mr Bridger, go back to that island of yours and stay there."  
  
Nathan was about to respond when Jonathan interrupted him in a near whisper, "Nathan, Lucas isn't responding."  
  
Nathan paled. Tim snapped his head up in concern.  
  
********************  
  
Biggs strode cockily around the communications room as he deleted Lucas work and began powering down most of the equipment.  
  
Near by him Lucas lay quietly on the floor, breathing heavily. His face was pale and sweat saturated his hair and his shirt. His head lolled to one side as he struggled to stay conscious. His right hand rested over his abdomen, blood seeped through his figure tips and dribbled onto the metal floor.  
  
"Hurts, doesn't it," Zach commented as he moved over to ensure the door was locked, "Told you it would."  
  
Lucas made no attempt to reply but shut his eyes briefly and continued breathing heavily.  
  
Zach moved over to Lucas and knelt down, "You won't die," he assured him, "Although," he said with less conviction, "I am going to make you suffer for a bit," he paused, "Just so you learn who you're messing with." Biggs gave a cruel smile and then leaned closer.  
  
"Don't think you'll be staying here, though. You're coming away with me. We're going on an excursion, young Lucas." 


	6. CHAPTER SIX

DON'T HATE ME. JUST DON'T HATE ME.  
  
The section seven officer struggled with the keypad codes that were meant to open the door.  
  
Bridger struggled to keep his emotions under control. There was plenty of time to worry about Lucas. First thing was first, he was down here to get Robert back, and he was not going to be distracted from that by his concern for Lucas. That was what Vishnore wanted. "Vishnore!" Bridger cried, "Where is my son?" He felt irritation surge up in him as Vishnore's nasty chuckle vibrated the speakers above them.  
  
"Your son has made his decision, Nathan," Vishnore told him, "He's a grown man. Why do you insist on protecting him?"  
  
Ford and O'Neill were using Nathan's distraction of Vishnore to make headway with their escape. The two were now kneeling beside the shuttle bay doors, trying to lever it open with force.  
  
"He's my son. His age does not affect that," Nathan replied, "You had better pray he's not hurt or I will make sure you suffer the consequences." Bridger threatened him a-matter-a-factly.  
  
The section seven officer working on the key pad continued his hacking, to no avail. The others were collecting wiring, panels and other bits and pieces to pull the doors apart.  
  
"Nathan, you've always been so close, yet so far. You think its any different this time? If his age doesn't make a difference, what makes you think any thing has changed?"  
  
Nathan knew Vishnore was rubbing in the fact that Robert had always been right in front of his noes, knowing of his parents suffering but being forced to stay in hiding.  
  
"Ah!" Jonathan Ford grunted in success as he finally pried a gap in the shuttle doors. The rest of the team scurried forward to help pull it open.  
  
"You know your not going to get away with this, Vishnore." Bridger warned.  
  
"Of course I am Mr Bridger! Sure you know where I am, for now. But you have to leave. You think there is no reason young Lucas is not responding?"  
  
Nathan was silent, pushing his emotions down and trying to think. Think. What was his duty? What did he have to do now?  
  
"Nathan!" O'Neill was calling out to him inside the open doors of the shuttle. The rest of the team were already inside and ready to go.  
  
Jonathan came into view and saw Bridger hadn't turned around completely, "Mission accomplished, sir. Time to go."  
  
Nathan looked at him. He knew what he had to do. Vishnore was a major part of this organisation, and he was the only one who could bring him down, and this was his only chance. But that wasn't first and foremost.  
  
Nathan turned to the man that was once his second in command, "Jonathan, Lucas is in trouble. You guys go get him. I'm staying here."  
  
"Nathan, no," Jonathan was getting itchy feet, he wanted to move, "Don't fall for Vishnore he will try to trick you!"  
  
"I know," Nathan said, then walking towards them so that Vishnore could not hear "And he won't. He was taunting me about my son always being right under my nose." He paused for effect, "He's here. Robert's here."  
  
Jonathan regarded his old captain for a few moments and then nodded slowly. Nathan was no longer upholding his duty to the navy or the United Earth Oceans. Today he was a father. "Good luck, sir," Ford said. He passed his gaze over to O'Neill, who nodded also. With that the two disappeared into the shuttle and Nathan turned around to find his arch-nemisis.  
  
*************************************  
  
Lucas grunted in pain as Biggs twisted him around to tie his hands behind his back. The rope was rough and grazed his skin even after the first few seconds. But the discomfort was barely noticeable, from the pain in his abdomen. It was fierce and heavy, and it wasn't easing at all.  
  
"Get up," Biggs told him grabbing him by the back of his uniform jacket. Lucas couldn't believe it. He couldn't walk!  
  
"I - I can't," He stammered, calmly. In response, Biggs _hauled_ him up.  
  
"Agggh!" Lucas cried out. His fear of more pain gave him the adrenalin to gain his footing. Once he was balanced, Biggs began to guide him carefully to the door, still gripping the back of his shirt.  
  
Lucas walked shakily towards the door. He couldn't do this. He couldn't. It hurt too much. 'Yes you can' he told himself, 'You need to prove that you can be an officer and a man. It's the only way they'll still love you after you turn 20. You wont be a teenager anymore and there'll be no need for them to care about you.' Lucas' thoughts were symptoms of what he had been feeling since Bridger left him the first time and he had realised he had no family. Choking off a sob before it could start, Lucas settled for concentrating on walking despite the agonising pain that coursed through him from his abdomen. His breathing became laboured without his realising, like an athlete on gym equipment, determined to force their body through those last two sets.  
  
Biggs opened the door slowly, pushing Lucas up against the wall behind him. Once he thought the coast was clear, he pulled the teenager out into the hallway and wrapped his arm around his chest, positioning the gun so that he could threaten the young officer if anyone came by. He pulled the teenager along with him. Lucas was still breathing heavily and focusing on nothing but basic bodily functions.  
  
The light split its way into the darkness as Biggs pushed it open. Dragging an almost unconscious Lucas with him, he made his way into the engine room and set the boy down roughly. He then shut the door, plunging them both into almost darkness, while he awaited his next order.  
  
MORE TO COME! NEEEEEEAAAARLY FINIIIIIIIISHED! 


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN

SORRY FOR ANY ERRORS I HAVENT CHECKED THIS  
  
Vishnore stood in his office room silently. The room was dimly light as usual. He had his back to the door and was standing in front of his desk, waiting for his communications link to light up, signalling an incoming call. He had just finished his conversation with Nathan Bridger and was now smiling smugly, looking forward to reporting his success.  
  
"I thought you'd be in here you stupid bastard," Vishnore whirled around to face an angry figure standing in the doorway.  
  
Vishnore's original shocked expression turned quickly to a nasty grin, "Eltherington," he greeted the man in a sarcastically pleasant tone.  
  
"Don't call me that," Robert Bridger told him angrily as he moved into the room towards Vishnore.  
  
"Er," Vishnore wasn't sure how to ask without looking disadvantaged in the confrontation, "I thought we had you..... 'secured'."  
  
Robert gave a small smile and lifted his eyebrows in boyish cheek, making him look a lot like Lucas, "It seems the base was having a few problems with its systems and personnel," Robert hinted. Vishnore smiled back, "Your father was here," he told him, "He's gone now of course." Robert glared at him. Vishnore continued, "You're a very valuable asset, Jack...." off Robert's glare he corrected himself, "Robert."  
  
"I knew for a long time it was you," Robert spoke softly despite his fury.  
  
"What was me?" Vishnore feigned innocence.  
  
"You didn't need to blackmail me, keep me from my family," Robert continued.  
  
"You can't hold on to a family in this kind of business!" Vishnore laughed, "You've already seen that they can be used against you."  
  
"Only by scum," Robert hissed out through his teeth, beginning to advance on Vishnore again.  
  
"We deal with scum," Vishnore reasoned, casually backing off.  
  
"We should be a team," Robert told him, "Its people like you that corrupt organisations like us."  
  
Vishnore spluttered, he was getting nervous, "People like me? It's the absolute power that corrupts!" He tried to come across as he though he was the one in control but it wasn't working.  
  
"That's why we need our loved ones to keep us in check," Robert said, "So we don't turn out like you," he hissed at the older man. The two were less than half a metre away from each other by now.  
  
"You're loved ones are what make you weak," Vishnore fed Robert the cliché.  
  
"You think I'm weaker than you?" Robert challenged.  
  
Without answering Vishnore grabbed the pen on the desk and attacked the younger man, plunging the pen into his chest.  
  
**************************************  
  
Nathan was puffing slightly as he mad his way carefully through the halls of the base. Even though the team had cleaned it out fairly thoroughly, he had to be very careful. There had only been a few of them, and this was no time for arrogance.  
  
He had no idea where Vishnore or Robert could be, but he assumed that Vishnore had to have communicated to them from an area where there were major communication systems. Bridger decided to head towards the central area of the base, in the hope that he could track them down from there.  
****************************  
  
The two men gripped each other fiercely as they spun each other around the room. Vishnore threw Robert into the beverage cabinet, still gripping his shoulders. Glass shattered and rolled over the both of them. Despite the pain in his chest, Robert twisted his leg upwards and shoved Vishnore off him. The general went sprawling to the ground and the young Bridger pounced on him before he could get up. He hit him hard in the face several times. As he felt Vishnore getting a grip on him again, he stopped punching him and threw Vishnore towards the desk. The older man felt his shoulders slide across the ground as his back banged up against the polished wood. He recovered quicker this time and was able to almost get up as Robert came for him again. Vishnore saw Roberts hands advancing towards his head to break his neck so he delivered a sharp smack to Roberts face, snapping his head back and sending the agent tumbling.  
  
"I don't want to kill you, Robert," Vishnore panted, blood running down his face from his noes.  
  
Robert stood painfully, slightly bent over, "I don't believe you," he said.  
  
The two men charged at each other and engaged in a series of hand-to-hand combat techniques, neither seriously hurting the other. Vishnore kicked Robert hard in the leg and Robert gave a cry of pain. He used the advantage of his weakened opponent to throw him onto the ground and run towards his desk draw were he kept his gun.  
  
Robert saw where he was going and chased after him. Vishnore ripped the loaded gun from his draw and cocked it. Robert lunged for the gun as Vishnore fired two shots. Robert was hit in the shoulder as the other ricocheted off a metal trophy in the corner of the room. He gave a loud cry but didn't stop his attack. He grabbed Vishnores arm and snapped it with one hand. The cracking was drowned out by Vishnore's agonised scream. The general fell to his knees. Robert put his hands around his head and snapped his neck. Dante Vishnore flopped back lifelessly, dead before he hit the floor.  
  
***********************************  
  
Nathan Bridger froze in his tracks. Was that a scream? He turned towards the direction it had came from and sprinted.  
  
**************************************  
  
Robert found himself succumbing to the pain as he felt dizziness run through him. He gave a groan and sank slowly to the floor. He gave a few thoughts to standing and trying to make it towards the door, but those thoughts were quickly put to the back of his mind as he felt the amount of blood he was losing from the wound in his chest.  
  
He carefully put his head on the ground and the rest of his body felt limp. In his delirium, he thought he heard a scuffling sound at the door. He turned his toward the open door. His heart skipped a beat at what he saw. 'That's not possible. He left.'  
  
Nathan rushed towards his son's side, "Robert!" his eyes scanned over his beaten and wounded body, "Oh God," he said, putting his hands over the wound in his chest and looking around the room. He looked at the Vishnore's body for a few moments then turned his attention to his son.  
  
Robert was fairly coherent, "Dad," he sighed relieved, "I'm so glad you're hear," to Nathan's surprise, Robert broke down into a sobbing wreck. Nathan leaned towards him and embraced him tightly, like he would have thirty years ago. He sat there with his beloved child who was now a grown man, rubbing his back and rocking him gently.  
  
***********************************  
  
"Incoming call, sir," the officer on the bridge announced.  
  
"Put it through, Lieutenant," Captain Hudson ordered from his chair.  
  
"Seaquest, this is Commander Ford. Mission accomplished."  
  
"Thankyou, Commander. Permission to board."  
  
"Aye aye, sir."  
  
Captain Hudson made his way down to the docking bay to greet the team. Commander Ford did not exactly look as pleased as expected as he emerged from the shuttle.  
  
"Is everything alright, Commander?" Hudson asked. O'Neill exited the ship behind Ford.  
  
Ford sighed before answering, "Captain Bridger stayed behind to take out Vishnore, sir."  
  
Hudson looked mildly surprised but not concerned, "Is that all?" The rest of the team exited the shuttle and gathered together behind Hudson.  
  
"We have reason to believe Lucas may be in trouble, sir," O'Neill added.  
  
Ford continued for him, "Is there any reason Lucas would have switched off communications?"  
  
Hudson just looked at them, "What do you mean, switched off communications?"  
  
"He wasn't responding," O'Neill told him worriedly as Ford began to take off towards the room where Lucas had been working in. Hudson and O'Neill followed after him, the section seven team following quickly behind.  
  
"Lucas!" Ford called as he reached the room. The door was ajar and he slipped inside, looking around. Hudson came up behind him with O'Neill. All the communications equipment had been switched off and the chair had been pushed in as though no one had been in there.  
  
Hudson signalled to the section seven agents to stop in the hall, they all had their guns out, waiting for trouble.  
  
"Somebody's taken him," Commander Ford stated the obvious.  
  
Hudson sighed, exasperated, "Go check if any vessels have left the ship!" he ordered O'Neill. He then turned to Ford, "I don't just want a systems sweep, I want a physical check of every possible exit from the boat!"  
  
Commander Ford ran out of the room, "You heard the man, lets move!" he called to the armed agents. The group left in a hussel.  
  
Hudson turned back to the room and realised that O'Neill was still standing in the same spot, "Didn't I give you an order, Lieutenant?" he demanded.  
  
Tim turned to him, "I'm sorry, sir," he swallowed, "I just thought you should know that he's injured," Tim pointed to a small pool of thick blood on the floor.  
  
Hudson's face softened and he put his hand on the younger man's shoulder, "We'll find him, Lieutenant," he promised.  
  
O'Neill nodded solemnly, then quickly left the room to check the systems.  
  
*********************************** Bridger let his son lean up against him for a few moments, giving him a rest.  
  
"How much further?" Robert asked.  
  
"Not far, it wont take us long. How are you holding up?"  
  
Robert looked at him gasping, "I think I'm hurt pretty bad, Dad," he said.  
  
"You'll be alright," Nathan assured him, "Just hold onto me. Your going to be fine, son."  
  
Nathan wrapped his arm around Robert's body and half carried him forward.  
  
"Just a bit further," he told his son as he felt his weight start to give. Both men grunted as Nathan plopped Robert down heavily onto the floor of the docking bay. Robert lay on the ground, panting heavily as Nathan chose a shuttle and began powering up communications.  
  
He looked around, "Looks like the power's back on," he said, "We couldn't even get the doors open before."  
  
"Someone else has access to the facility," Robert gasped out.  
  
Nathan looked at him, "Who?"  
  
"Our leaders," Robert replied.  
  
Anger clouded Nathan's face, "Where are they?"  
  
Robert shook his head, "Not here, Dad. And they're the good guys."  
  
Nathan looked sceptically at his son. 'How could anyone who had control over what had happened to his family be a good guy?' Nathan shook of his feeling of unease about it and focused his attention on the consul.  
  
"Alright," he walked over the Robert and lifted him, helping him into the shuttle. He plonked him down on a chair and strapped him in, "Are you alright?"  
  
"Just get me back to seaquest, Dad," Robert said.  
  
Nathan took the hint and sat himself down in the pilots seat.  
  
"Seaquest, this is Nathan Bridger. I need a medteam standing by."  
  
"Copy that, Nathan," it was Tim's voice, "Are you hurt seriously?"  
  
"It's not me its my son," Nathan told him, "And I think he'll be okay, we just need to hurry."  
  
"Will do, sir," Tim said trying to hide the pain in his voice.  
  
**************************************  
  
Biggs was beginning to get irritable. He should have heard from Vishnore by now, what was taking him. Surely the idiot had a plan. Nearby him Lucas groaned in pain. Biggs walked over and kneeled next to him placing a hand over his mouth.  
  
"I don't need your whining," he threatened him. Lucas' pained expression showed that he didn't care. Biggs took his hand off Lucas' mouth, "Looks like you're going to die after all," Biggs said, neither pleased nor disappointed.  
  
Lucas didn't look to afraid, just sick of the pain, "Why don't you just get it over with. Or are you too weak? Don't you know how to lead?"  
  
Biggs didn't react angrily. Instead he calmly moved his hand down to Lucas wound and pressed down. Lucas stiffened in agony, arching his back and opening his mouth to cry out softly. After Biggs let go, it was some time after Lucas relaxed. Biggs waited until the major pain had passed and then leaned up against Lucas' ear, "I have to power here, not you."  
  
************************************  
  
Nathan ran quickly through the halls of seaquest, following the doctors and the stretcher that was carrying his son toward medbay. He stopped when he could go no further and strained his neck so he could watch his son as he disappeared into the operating room. Then he stood silently for a few moments until Hudson walked up to him.  
  
"Nathan," Hudson greeted grimly.  
  
"Oliver," Bridger acknowledged, "The mission was a success. Except for this of course. And Robert hinted to me that he still has faith in the concept of Party Operation."  
  
Hudson said wisely silent for a few moments, "You cant chose someone else's ideals," he told him.  
  
Bridger laughed a little at Hudson's giving him advice, "I know, Oliver. Its just I don't know the full story about this, and Robert isn't willing to share."  
  
Hudson just looked at him sympathetically and nodded.  
  
"How's Lucas?" Nathan changed the subject to one that Hudson was not looking forward to.  
  
Hudson gave a loud sigh, "Nathan we don't know where he is."  
  
Nathan spun around, "What?! You lost him again?!"  
  
Hudson ignored the insult and got straight to the point, "We've checked all possible exits. Its very unlikely that he's left the boat. Right now, we're doing a sweep of the entire vessel. We'll find him, Nathan."  
  
Nathan sighed heavily in shock and sat down on the nearest chair outside medbay. His face filled with thought, "That means someone here is a traitor," Hudson nodded, "Do we know who?"  
  
"He's been missing for a while. We're hoping to filter out the crew by assuming that the offender is with him."  
  
Nathan scoffed, "That's a big assumption, Oliver."  
  
"Would you like to come to the bridge?" Oliver offered.  
  
Nathan nodded, "Lets see what the rest of the crew has come up with."  
  
****************************  
  
"Commander," Henderson made her way towards Ford, she hadn't really wanted to bring this up, but Biggs had been missing ever since Lucas had and she had a feeling in her gut that something was wrong.  
  
Ford turned towards her, "Henderson?" he asked.  
  
"Sir," she started hesitantly, "Have you seen Zach anywhere? I haven't seen him in a while.." she hinted.  
  
Jonathan Fords face clouded over, "We have a situation here, Lonie, cant you ask someone else about your boyfriend?" he hissed.  
  
"Jonathan," she started quietly, in shock. He turned away from her.  
  
"Jonathan," she said going after him in a stronger voice once she had regained he composure. He turned reluctantly, "He's NOT my 'boyfriend'," she hissed back, "And I'm asking because I haven't seen him since Lucas disappeared."  
  
Realisation dawned on his face. He leaned toward her, "Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
Her face was hard, "Yes, I'm sure."  
  
Jonathan turned to call the nearest crewman, "Call the Captain," he ordered.  
  
"He's already here, Commander," Hudson walked in with Bridger behind them, "What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"Lieutenant Zach Biggs, sir. Apparently he's been missing since Lucas disappeared." His gaze shifted to Bridger, "Sir," he greeted with sympathy in his voice.  
  
"You should paige him," Nathan had slipped back into gear and was no longer emotional.  
  
Hudson nodded and stepped up towards his consul, "O'Neill, get me Lieutenant Biggs."  
  
"Aye sir."  
  
***************************************  
  
Inside the dark engineering room, Bigg's PAL beeped. He looked down at it quickly, "Damn," he cursed, wondering if he should switch it off. He decided to answer it to avoid suspicion, "Biggs," he answered.  
  
"Mr Biggs," Hudson's stern voice greeted, "You've been reported missing. Where are you?"  
  
"Ah," Biggs started to get nervous, "I'm not on duty for another few hours, sir."  
  
"That's not what I asked, Lieutenant," Hudson reminded him.  
  
"I'm uh, I'm just in my quarters, sir," Biggs lied.  
  
Hudson turned to Henderson, who was standing a few metres away on the bridge, she shook her head indicating that they had checked there. Nathan Bridger looked at her and walked up to stand next to Hudson. The bridge became silent as they listened to the conversation.  
  
"Your quarters has been checked, Lieutenant," Hudson informed him, "Where are you?"  
  
Biggs swallowed down the panic, taking a few moments to answer, "Look, I'm just following orders okay?"  
  
A murmur ran through the bridge, this confirmed it.  
  
"Who from?" Hudson asked him.  
  
"Look, just cut the small talk okay? Lets just make a deal."  
  
"What type of deal?"  
  
"You let me off here, no questions asked, and I let the boy live."  
  
Nathan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He didn't know if he could handle all this in the one day.  
  
"No questions asked?" Hudson said, "Why don't we try to make a more realistic deal?"  
  
"A more realistic deal?" Biggs asked, angry. He reached over and pulled Lucas forward so that he cried out, "Why don't I give you another option? How about I you ask me whatever questions you want, until you get sick of hearing me torture your friend, and then you let me go?"  
  
Nathan's heart was beating a mile a minute, he had heard Lucas cry out. He had also cradled his son while he had cried earlier today. Enough was enough. He stood up next to Hudson. Hudson looked over at him and moved out of the way.  
  
"Biggs," Nathan said, "My name is Nathan Bridger. Don't hurt him, we'll let you go."  
  
O'Neill gave a silent cry of victory and Hudson moved over towards him, "Engineering room eight, sir, lower decks!" Hudson turned and nodded towards Ford who took off with a group of people.  
  
"You can send someone around to us then," Biggs said, "I'm sure you know where I am."  
  
"Oh, we know where you are," Nathan Bridger said before he ran off to join Commander Ford and his team.  
  
Biggs turned off the communication equipment and swore to himself. He still had Lucas in his grip. Lucas was now sweating profusely and shaking, Biggs knew that there was no way he could walk. He had to work out how could threaten the boy until he was safe enough away.  
  
He didn't have long to think, he had begun to hear voices shouting and footsteps echoing through the walls. It wasn't long before the door swung open and Commander Ford and several other armed officers could be seen standing there facing them.  
  
Biggs twisted around, holding Lucas in a one armed bear hug out in front of him like a shield. Ford's face registered concern when he saw that Lucas' sweaty, pale and weakened expression. He looked a lot like a child. Bridger came up behind him and froze. He hadn't known Lucas was injured.  
  
"Oh my God," he whispered, "What the hell did you do to him you son of a bitch!?" He demanded.  
  
Ford stood in front of Bridger slightly so that Bridger didn't go charging towards him. Bigg's gun wasn't trained on Lucas, but Ford could see that Biggs had it in his hand and he was sure it was loaded and cocked.  
  
"Back off!" Biggs ordered. No one moved. He lifted Lucas up so that he gave quite an agonised cry, "NOW!"  
  
Rage filled Bridger, as he watched Biggs hurt Lucas. He pushed past Ford, who tried to grab a hold of him, and hurled himself at the two men in the room.  
  
Before Biggs could react, Bridger had his side arm and was aiming it at his head. Biggs still had a hold of Lucas, who was gritting his teeth in pain, shaking and looking at Nathan. He looked at Lucas, and pulled the trigger.  
  
The sound of the gun going off was not deafening, but what followed afterwards was. Lucas opened his mouth in shock as blood sprayed over both him and Bridger. Bridger caught a hold of Lucas and pushed Bigg's body away. Lucas slowly turned to look at him. He didn't say anything, but Nathan could see his disappointment.  
  
"One day you'll understand, Lucas," he said.  
  
The crewman who had been standing the doorway ran forward to check that Biggs was dead. Still in shock, Ford moved forward to help Bridger get Lucas out of the room.  
  
After setting Lucas down, Ford ran off the get the med team. Nathan sat with Lucas and cupped one of his cheeks, not really having anything to say.  
  
"Thankyou for rescuing me," Lucas croaked out.  
  
Nathan smiled affectionately, that was not exactly something Lucas would say. Lucas then closed his eyes and mouth. Nathan could see that he was gritting his teeth.  
  
"We're going to get something for that pain soon, kiddo," he said stroking his face, feeling the warmth there with concern.  
  
Lucas only nodded. Nathan could see Lucas was struggling with the pain, "It's okay to cry you know," he told him.  
  
"I'm not a kid," Lucas said weakly.  
  
Nathan laughed, "Neither is Robert."  
  
Lucas looked confused, "He cried?" Nathan nodded.  
  
"Recently?" Nathan nodded again, "So you'll all still love me after I get older?"  
  
Nathan looked at him seriously, "I'll always love you."  
  
The med team picked that moment to arrive and Nathan kissed Lucas on the warm sticky forehead and stepped back for the second time that day to let the doctors get to work.  
  
NO IT'S NOT FINISHED YET. ONE MORE SHORT CHAPTER. 


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

Nathan sat down on the seat outside med bay, waiting to see when he could go in and see his son.  
  
Dr. Perry came out and walked towards him, "You can see him now, Mr Bridger." Nathan stood somewhat stiffly and followed Dr. Perry out.  
  
Robert was laying peacefully as his father entered. The two watched each other carefully as Nathan made his way towards his son's bedside.  
  
"How are you?" Nathan asked him as he touched his shoulder.  
  
"I'm okay, Dad. The Doctor said with a bit of rest I should be okay to go home soon."  
  
Nathan smiled at his son's keenness to get out of bed, "There's no rush. This was my home for a while, you know. It'd be good to show you around."  
  
Robert became serious, "That'd be great, Dad," there was a lingering in his voice which replaced prepared Nathan for the 'but', "But I really want to get back into it as soon as I can."  
  
Nathan sat back, with a surprised and concerned look on his face, "Back into what, Robert?"  
  
Robert paused for a few moments, carefully trying to formulate his next sentence, "I still believe in Party Operation, Dad," Nathan stiffened, "Look, you don't know the half of it; you only met the bad eggs.."  
  
Nathan cut him off, "What do you mean 'only the bad eggs'? Robert, your telling me the entire organisation had no idea you were being held against your will? If that's true why didn't you go to them?"  
  
"I wasn't being held entirely against my will," Robert explained calmly, "What they did was for the greater good."  
  
Nathan stood and shook his head, "I can see that I'm not going to be able to reason with you. Although, I wish I could," Nathan paused for a few moments and looked at his son looking seriously at him. He could see Robert's mind had been made up a while ago, "You realise I will be informing the UEO of your intentions."  
  
Robert looked away, mildly exasperated, "Of course, Dad."  
  
"I just hope you realise this organisation is not what its cut out to be."  
  
Robert kept his face turned away. "And I hope you realise the UEO isn't the greatest of them all," Robert said with a hint of resentment in his voice.  
  
"I do, son," Nathan said quietly. When he realised Robert wasn't going to respond he walked away, pulling the curtain across behind him.  
  
"Mr Bridger," Dr Perry called out to him, as he was about to leave med bay, "Ensign Wolenczak is out of surgery."  
  
Nathan took a deep sigh, "Is he okay?"  
  
"He's doing very well. No major organs were hit but he was already run down when it happened so we're putting him on a drip and we'll need to keep him topped up with vitamins and protein. We're going to have to keep him for a while."  
  
"Is he awake?"  
  
"Not at the moment, but he's just sleeping. He might wake up but try not to wake him if you want to see him."  
  
Nathan hesitated. After his discussion with Robert he felt saddened and drained, he knew Lucas would realise something was wrong if he woke but he didn't want to bring Lucas into it, it didn't have anything to do with him. On the other hand he hadn't seen Lucas in a long time. Both times he had seen Lucas the boy had been hurt. He really wanted to hear that defiant voice and see those blue eyes.  
  
Nathan nodded, "Which way?"  
  
Dr Perry answered by turning and walking in the opposite direction. Nathan followed.  
  
When they reached Lucas bedside, Dr Perry moved forward to check the equipment next to him. She then gave Nathan a small smile and left them. Lucas was asleep, his head turned to the side. He had tubes coming out of his nose and sitting around his face. His hair looked softer and blonder than usual and was swept back behind his head. Lucas didn't look too badly hurt, but Nathan felt a sharp stab in his chest. He took a deep breath and leaned forward to smell Lucas hair, bringing his hand around to touch his head. The faint smell of Lucas sweet shampoo and his natural scent washed away the pain in Nathan's chest. He stayed bent over for a few more moments before he kissed the forehead and sat down next to him. His skin was cooler and softer to touch this time.  
  
Nathan thought he would sit for a few more moments and leave. But he couldn't bring himself to leave Lucas's side. Every time he reminded himself to leave he decided to stay a few moments longer. Eventually he noticed that his joints were getting stiff and med bay seemed to be getting quieter. He looked at his watch and decided it was about time to leave. Just as he stood, he looked down at the sleeping teenager. Lucas chose this moment to open his eyes. At first Nathan wasn't sure if Lucas was actually awake, the boy's eyes were only slits. But then Lucas shifted in his bed and Nathan leaned toward him.  
  
"Hey kiddo," he smiled.  
  
"Hey," Lucas croaked quietly. Nathan thought he should go but Lucas didn't seem to be drifting back off. Nathan stroked Lucas's hair to try to ease him back to sleep. Instead Lucas started to wake up. He shifted once more and grimaced in pain.  
  
"Hey hey, careful there," Nathan put his hand on his shoulder, "You've just come out of surgery a few hours ago."  
  
Lucas nodded slightly then cleared his throat, "Did you get your son back yet?"  
  
Nathan smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we got him back."  
  
"Is he okay?"  
  
"Well he had a few injuries but he's doing fine. He's actually not far away from you. I'd really like you two to meet."  
  
Lucas smiled, "Yeah, I'd like that too." Lucas paused, "Why aren't you with him now?" Lucas asked innocently.  
  
Nathan frowned slightly, "Lucas, I'm with you."  
  
"But he's your son."  
  
"So?" Nathan wanted to know where this was going.  
  
"Wouldn't you prefer to be with him than me? I'm not your son." Nathan looked at him; shocked that Lucas felt the way he did.  
  
"No, your not. But I sometimes wish you were. I don't think I treat you any different than if you were."  
  
Lucas frowned slightly, still hazy from pain and sleep, "I don't.. have a family," he began.  
  
"I know," Nathan said gently, taking Lucas' hand.  
  
"I know I have friends. But friends come and go, that's been really obvious lately." Lucas paused. Nathan listened quietly, "There is not one single person in my life, who I can trust will be there for me in five years."  
  
Nathan knew Lucas was not completely coherent at the moment, and was probably over emotional. But he knew what was being said wasn't far from the truth and he didn't want Lucas believing what he was saying.  
  
"Lucas, I can't speak from everyone who calls themselves your friend. But a lot of people care about you."  
  
"There's a difference between caring about what happens to someone and actually loving someone, Captain."  
  
"You know I love you, Lucas. Now, in five years, ten years, twenty years."  
  
Lucas shook his head, "Your son is back now. You don't need a replacement," Lucas' voice was quiet and sad but somewhat resentful.  
  
Nathan wasn't upset at all, "You never replaced him. He won't replace you. You're my second son, not a replacement."  
  
Lucas swallowed, "I guess I just need to feel secure that someone loves me at the moment."  
  
Nathan touched Lucas' face, "Lucas, your just going to have to believe me. Come to me when you need someone."  
  
Lucas smiled slightly, "I'm think I'm getting better at handling things on my own."  
  
"You don't need to," Nathan told him gently.  
  
"I know," Lucas said, more awake now, " I didn't feel so weak when I was captured the second time." Lucas told him, "When Biggs hurt me, I knew it was because I had power over him. He told me otherwise, but I knew that if I didn't have control, I couldn't have made him angry. I don't need a keyboard."  
  
Nathan smiled gently, "You're a beautiful, strong kid, Lucas. You just need to realise that there are people who care about you - who love you. People who want you to be happy."  
  
Lucas looked more content. He rolled his head back and shut his eyes, "Would you stay with me longer?"  
  
Nathan squeezed his hand, "Of course, my boy."  
  
************************************  
  
Tony and Tim came into see Lucas before he went back to sleep. The three were really enjoying seeing each other again so Nathan decided it was time to go and get something to eat. Lucas barely noticed his departure.  
  
After he had satisfied his hunger he made his way towards the guest quarters to get some sleep. He had just entered the room and started making himself comfortable when the vid link came to life. Nathan pressed a few buttons, indicating that he was consenting to the communication.  
  
He was greeted with the friendly face of Commander Ford, "Nathan, hi," the Commander greeted pleasantly.  
  
"Oh, hello, Jonathan. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Sir, Robert is requesting a shuttle. He's about to leave. He asked me to inform you."  
  
Nathan looked shocked, "I didn't even know he had been released from med bay!"  
  
Jonathan nodded, "Yes, he was a few hours ago,"  
  
Nathan looked exasperated. Jonathan just shrugged, not too concerned.  
  
"Okay, thankyou Commander."  
  
"My pleasure, sir. Oh, sir?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How is Lucas?"  
  
"He's fine," Nathan nodded with relief, relaxing a bit.  
  
Jonathan smiled, "Good. I haven't had a chance to see him yet."  
  
"Well I'm sure he'd love to see you."  
  
*************************************  
  
"Robert," Nathan called out to his son who was standing at the shuttle bay, ready to go.  
  
"Hey, Dad," Robert greeted neutrally.  
  
Nathan sighed, "So you're actually going,"  
  
Robert nodded, determined, "Yes, I am."  
  
"Do you have to go now?" Nathan asked.  
  
"Yes, I really want to get going."  
  
"But you haven't met Lucas," Nathan said.  
  
Robert looked at him for a few moments, "I will," he said. With that, he stepped off the Seaquest and onto a shuttle. Nathan let him go.  
'If you love them, let them go. If they're yours, they'll come back.'  
BEFORE YOU ASK, YES THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEQUAL. ANYONE INTERESTED? WELL IT'S COMING OUT ANYWAY! THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEQUAL, 'CAIN AND ABEL' WILL HOPEFULLY BE OUT BEFORE THE END OF THE MAY. 


End file.
